2000 people convicted since June in France protests
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Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti is urging for a "rapid, firm and systematic" response from magistrates in light of the worst urban violence in the country since 2005, as many courts are carrying out fast-track trials for suspects.
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French riot police run past a fire during a demonstration in Paris on March 23, 2023. (AFP)
Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti confirmed on Tuesday that close to 2,000 people have been convicted in France after nationwide riots burst out in June over the fatal police shooting of the French teenager, Nahel Merzouk, during a traffic stop.
He continued to urge for a "rapid, firm and systematic" response from magistrates in light of the worst urban violence in the country since the year 2005, as many courts are carrying out fast-track trials for suspects.
"I called on magistrates to be firm, and they responded," he said. "It was a question of restoring law and order."
Dupond-Moretti told RTL radio that 1,989 out of 2,107 people were found guilty, while 1,789 had been given prison sentences.
According to the minister, 20 judicial facilities have been vandalized during the clashes, resulting in damages amounting to five million euros ($5.4 million).
Just earlier this month, five police officers in Marseille were taken into custody for questioning regarding the death of a 27-year-old man Mohamed Bendriss, merely two months after Merzouk's murder.
Read more: Nahel's death exposes rooted division in France: Report
Bendriss was reportedly riding his scooter in the city at the time of the protests. His lifeless body was discovered outside his mother's residence after he had become unwell. A subsequent postmortem examination revealed signs of chest trauma believed to have been inflicted by the French police's rubber bullet-firing weapon, referred to as an LBD (lanceur de balle de défense).
