The family of a Mauritanian man who died in custody last week has accused officers of killing him in the latest such allegation of police brutality. The Paris prosecutor's office said the police had launched an internal probe, but family said they want an independent investigating magistrate on the case. The prosecutor's office said officers had approached Diarra after "seeing him roll a cannabis joint". A police officer, then emergency medical crews who arrived at 23:45, tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at 00:20, the prosecutor's office said. Prosecutors have demanded a police officer be tried over the 2023 killing of a teenager at a traffic stop, in a case that sparked nationwide protests.

Source: The Local January 19, 2026 14:09 UTC