Witnesses described a “lynching” scene while Jérémie Cohen was on the ground.
DR
More than two years after the events, two men will be tried for violence resulting in death without intention to cause it and violence in a meeting for the death of Jérémie Cohen, a young Jewish man hit by a tram.
“Immediate consequence”
The indictment order was issued on September 26, the Bobigny prosecutor’s office told AFP. The two men aged 29 and 26 will be tried by the departmental criminal court: the first, placed in pre-trial detention, for a crime and the second for a related offense.
“Jérémie Cohen ran towards the tram tracks to escape his attackers and in fear of being attacked again,” say the judges in their indictment order consulted by AFP. “His flight towards the tram tracks is obviously the immediate consequence of the violence he suffered,” conclude the magistrates. “I reserve my statements for the court but the requests for documents that I requested and obtained should shed light on what the prosecution refuses to see,” Mr. Lucas Minkowski, who defends the case, told AFP. man fired for violence in meetings.
“The order is tainted by an irregularity, we will appeal,” indicated for his part Me Kamel Derouiche who assists the main accused, explaining not to have been notified of the final indictment by the prosecution. For the family of the deceased, it is a “satisfaction” on the other hand. “They are waiting for justice to come to pass and severely punish the perpetrators of these acts which led to the death of their son and brother,” reported their lawyer Franck Serfati.
“Died because he was Jewish”
On February 16, 2022 around 8:00 p.m., Jérémie Cohen, 31, with a mental disability, was crossing the railway tracks when he was hit by a tram in Bobigny, just after being hit by a group. In cardio-respiratory arrest, victim of head trauma, he died in hospital a few hours later.
The case took on a political dimension when, a few days before the first round of the presidential election, the victim’s father asked Eric Zemmour to publicize the tragedy. The far-right candidate then publicly wondered if Jérémie Cohen “died because he was Jewish”. But, a year after the events, the Bobigny public prosecutor ensures that no element supports the “religious motive”. The two accused admitted the attack but disputed its anti-Semitic nature. According to their account during the investigation, they saw Jérémie Cohen masturbating next to a paralyzed mother before hearing the girlfriend of one of them screaming. She claims to have been sexually assaulted.
“Lynching” scene
A first altercation occurs, during which the accused punch and kick Jérémie Cohen several times, seeking to “put him out of harm’s way”. Still according to their version, the latter struggles, a stapler in hand. The presence of this object could not be established during the investigation. Witnesses describe “head crushing” and a “lynching” scene while Jérémie Cohen is on the ground. The protagonists are separated.
New violence broke out shortly after. This time Jérémie Cohen is attacked by around ten people, as shown in the video filmed by a tourist, found thanks to the investigations of the victim’s family who did not believe the initial theory of the accident. Disoriented, Jérémie Cohen escapes without being pursued, does not see the tram arriving at 35 km/h, does not hear the warning cries and is hit. The judges rule out the hypothesis that Jérémie Cohen’s taking regular Tramadol – under treatment – was the primary cause of his loss of bearings during the accident. The tram driver was exonerated by the investigation.
(afp)
