Five people including a baby died in a fire in a nine-storey apartment building in the Paris suburb of Sevran on Monday, firefighters told AFP. A man whose identity and age was not immediately known was found dead in the staircase and another adult and two children died in an apartment on the
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France unrest before Bastille Day
July 14th, 2009 |
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French youths set 317 cars on fire and wounded 13 police officers overnight during a series of riots on the eve of the Bastille Day holiday, police say.
Paris police said 240 people had been arrested, almost double the number held after unrest on the same day last year.
The injured officers are suffering from hearing difficulties caused by home-made explosives blowing up beside them.
Last week, the death of a young man in police custody caused three nights of riots in the southern town of Firminy.
Police said Mohamed Benmouna, a 21-year-old of Algerian origin, had died after trying to hang himself in a cell earlier in the week.
But his family refused to accept the explanation and subsequently filed a complaint to ask for a full investigation. On Friday, prosecutors ordered a second autopsy to "remove all doubt" in the case.
In 2005, rioting erupted across France after two teenagers died in a Paris suburb. Residents said they had been trying to flee from police.
Riots have become a regular occurrence at the start of Bastille Day, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris in 1789, the event regarded as the start of the French Revolution.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
New autopsy after French unrest
July 10th, 2009 |
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A second autopsy has been ordered on the body of a young man whose death in police custody has caused three nights of rioting in a southern French town.
Police say Mohamed Benmouna, a 21-year-old of Algerian origin, died after trying to hang himself in a cell earlier this week.
Youths have set shops and cars on fire and battled riot police in the town of Firminy in reaction to the death.
Prosecutor Jacques Pin said he wanted to "remove all doubt" in the case.
A first examination of Mr Benmouna’s body on Thursday showed that he had died from "cardiac arrest by suffocation", he said.
Mr Benmouna had been arrested on suspicion of extortion.
The unrest in Firminy began on Tuesday, when youths burnt cars and threw stones at security forces.
On Thursday, in a third night of violence, several shops were destroyed by fire and police cars were damaged. Police responded with tear gas and said six people had been arrested.
The youths have challenged the official version of Mr Benmouna’s death – that he hung himself with cords from a mattress.
His family have called for calm, but have also filed a complaint to ask for a full investigation.
Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux repeated on Friday that the death had been a suicide.
"He was put in detention, and during his detention, he wanted to commit suicide and unfortunately, he did so," he told French radio.
In 2005, night-time rioting spread across France after two teenagers died in a Paris suburb. Residents said they had trying to escape from police.
The violence mainly affected areas that are home to immigrant communities, many of North African origin.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.