Riots after the death of Adama Traoré: his brother Bagui acquitted at the assizes

Published on : 07/09/2021 – 21:41

Five people had been on trial since June 21 in Pontoise for gunfire on the police in Persan and Beaumont-sur-Oise during particularly intense urban violence, the nights that followed the death of Adama Traoré, aged 24, on July 19, 2016, shortly after his arrest by the gendarmes.

In addition to Bagui Traoré, his ex-companion and a man accused of having been one of the shooters were acquitted on Friday July 9. On the other hand, the court declared two men guilty of having been perpetrators of shootings and sentenced them respectively to twelve years of criminal imprisonment and eight years of imprisonment, including one year suspended, for attempted murder of gendarmes.

“Justice cannot do without proof, but this is what happened in the case of Bagui Traoré”, declared the president of the court, Marc Trévidic, reading the reasons for the verdict, pronounced after thirty hours of deliberation in this “extraordinary” file with 13,000 listed items and some 90 civil parties.

The former anti-terrorism judge had particularly harsh words for the investigation which appointed Bagui Traoré as a shooter or orderer during the riots and resulted, after five years of proceedings, in his referral to the assizes.

“No one, neither in the proceedings nor at the hearing, indicated that they saw him shoot at the police or even stand near a gunman. Likewise, no one did. heard giving instructions or having provided a firearm, “detailed Marc Trévidic.

“The investigation had remained with simple hypotheses and a debate on simple hypotheses certainly has its place in an investigating office, but not before an assize court”, asserted the judge.

The relief of Assa Traoré

When Bagui Traoré’s acquittal was announced, applause and cheers from his supporters erupted in one of the large broadcasting tents, installed in the hall of the court. Some of the dozens of civil party gendarmes had come in uniform to attend the verdict.

Moved to tears, the emblematic activist against police violence Assa Traoré welcomed the acquittal of her brother Bagui, but felt that “the road is not over”.

“My brother is tired, my brother cried for five years. Today my brother is free,” Assa Traoré told reporters on the steps of the Pontoise court, a few minutes after the verdict was delivered.

“This decision is good, but we need to have complete confidence in justice, so the road is not yet finished”, added the activist, referring to the investigation still underway on the circumstances of the death of Adama and which she made the fight of her life.

Tuesday, after two and a half weeks of dense and sometimes electric debates, the attorneys general had requested an acquittal of the athletic young man of 29 years, believing that the material elements were lacking to prove his involvement.

Detained for four and a half years, in particular because of other convictions, the “twin” of heart of Adama has always proclaimed his innocence.

During the trial, many gendarmes and police marched to the bar to recount the chaos and the extreme tension of these nights of riots when their superiors refused the use of lethal weapons to respond to the shootings, despite the danger. .

With AFP