We condemn in the strongest terms the arbitrary arrests of two comrades during the Pride march on Saturday, June 18, 2024 in Montpellier and the deplorable conditions of detention in police custody cells.
The Support Committee for those detained in police custody condemns these arrests of a political nature on spurious grounds.
Two activists, including a member of the National Confederation of Labor of Gard (CNT), were victims of arbitrary arrests during the demonstration. Deprived of liberty for 42 hours, they suffered undignified treatment contrary to fundamental rights.
This demonstration, marked by a strong mobilization of the LGBTQA+ community, the pink bloc and the queer Palestine collective, was an opportunity to denounce the scourges of homophobia, sexism, racism, the rise of the extreme right and fascism. Slogans such as “enough of this society that does not respect trans people, Guînes and queers” or “Siamo Tutti ANTIFASCISTI” resonated in the streets.
The first reason given by a BAC officer during the arrest and to justify it is particularly worrying: “we respect universal suffrage”. This statement, made in reference to the National Rally’s score in the European elections, fuels fears of the police being used for political ends.
This reason given was then modified during police custody to:
“voluntary concealment of the face, without legitimate reason, during a demonstration on the public highway accompanied by disturbances or risks of manifest disturbances to public order”. the charge is not faithful to the original. The “with a view to” has disappeared and the wording is incorrect…
However, it is clear that this last reason could not appear in the legal term which is not really audible to the average individual before a judge, especially since the demonstration in question, the Pride March, is of a festive and peaceful nature where the The majority of participants are masked and/or disguised.
The two comrades deprived of their freedom for 42 hours had to endure vomit, excrement, rotten food as well as blood and urine already present in their cells!!!
These conditions of detention in French police custody cells are extremely violent! Particularly degrading: in addition to the cramped 5m² cells, and the presence of vomit, excrement, rotten food, blood and urine on the floor and walls, the permanent white light of the aggressive neon lights, the absence of blankets to protect against the cold, the absence of any basic hygiene products, not to mention the insufficient and very poor quality food.
These conditions of detention, condemned multiple times by the General Rapporteur of places of Deprivation of Liberty, are akin to physical and psychological torture and constitute a flagrant violation of human rights.
If the deplorable conditions in police custody are not a secret, can we really prepare for the ordeal these people are going through? The poignant testimonies collected here lift the veil on the unacceptable reality suffered by all people held in police custody in France.
They underline, once again, the urgency of a radical and profound overhaul of judicial practices in matters of police custody.
These arrests and these treatments, which are akin to torture and almost inhuman, are part of an increasingly deleterious political climate, marked by the rise of hateful and racist speech, the stigmatization of minorities and the trivialization of police violence. We would like to remind you that respect for individual freedoms and fundamental rights is a non-negotiable principle in a society that calls itself democratic and yet we no longer count all the transgressions inherent to it!
After 48 hours of deprivation of liberty, our comrades were brought before a delegate of the Prosecutor for a criminal composition, effectively depriving them of a trial before the Criminal Court where they could have defended themselves and asserted their rights. However, they refused this criminal composition and are awaiting a summons before the Criminal Court. A case that will not remain without a political response!
Together, let’s defend our rights to express ourselves freely!
The Committee in support of our comrades arrested for demonstrating and asserting their opposition to the rise and fascist drift of the policies being implemented, which are increasingly repressive and security-oriented.
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