Death of Adama Traoré

Adama Traoré (19 July 1992 – 19 July 2016)[1] was a Malian-French[2] man who died in custody after being restrained and apprehended by police.[1] His death triggered riots and protests against police brutality in France, with new resurgence and resonance since the killing of George Floyd under similar circumstances in 2020.

Adama Traoré
A photograph of Traoré displayed at a 2018 rally calling for a full inquiry into his death
Born(1992-07-19)19 July 1992
Beaumont-sur-Oise, Val-d'Oise, Île-de-France, France
Died19 July 2016(2016-07-19) (aged 24)
Beaumont-sur-Oise, Val-d'Oise, Île-de-France, France
Cause of deathContested, heart failure or asphyxiation from sustained pressure
Known foralleged victim of police brutality

Arrest and death

On 19 July 2016, his 24th birthday, Adama Traoré was out with his older brother Bagui in the Paris suburb of Beaumont-sur-Oise. Police approached the two, as they were seeking Bagui who was accused of extorsion with violence.[3] Adama who had previously been convicted of various offences including rebellion and violence against the police, extorsion, drug related offences, and stealing and had been incarcerated twice and had recently been released from prison in May 2016. The officers sought to check their IDs, but Adama did not have his and fled, he was caught by officers a first time but fled again and was caught a second time and handcuffed. The arresting officer was attacked and knocked to the ground by an unknown third party who fled the scene allowing Traoré to escape again to hide in a nearby house, where he was arrested.[4][5] Three officers of the National Gendarmerie found him hiding under a sheet without the handcuffs and pinned him down to arrest him.[3][4] Traoré stood up on his own after the arrest but officers claim he seemed to be in some physical distress, he was taken to a police vehicle and then to the nearby police station, the transfer taking between 3 and 4 minutes. At their arrival the officers noticed that Traoré had urinated on himself and was unconscious but they stated that he was still breathing and placed him on the ground and called the emergency services.[6] When fire service paramedics arrived and saw Traoré was no longer breathing they called an emergency medical team from the SAMU who tried to resuscitate him but after an hour he was declared dead on the scene.[3] After his death Adama was found to have been in possession of €1,330 in cash and a bag of cannabis.[7]

A total of four autopsy reports were issued for Traoré.[8] Initially, experts failed to agree whether the cause of death was suffocation after the police pinned him to the ground, or other underlying medical conditions (such as sickle cell disease) or hyperthermia caused by the chase in a heat wave. Others suggested the possibility of presence of drugs in his body contributing to his death, but an initial toxicology report on his vomit was negative for marijuana and alcohol.[5] An additional toxicology report showed a high concentration of THC in his system, demonstrating that he had consumed cannabis at most up to 12 hours, and likely within 2 to 3 hours, before his death.[9] A French legal report in 2020 also maintained there was THC in his blood.[8] The official medical report eventually listed heart failure as cause of death.[10] A second autopsy commissioned by the Traoré family, however, listed asphyxiation from sustained pressure as the cause of death.[5] 2 hours after his death his body temperature was measured at 39.2°C (102.6°F) which the arresting officers' defense attorneys claim to be proof of hyperthermia.[11]

Aftermath

A lawyer who spécialises in police violence suggested that state medical examiners will tend to try and protect the system and lack independence.[4] A subsequent internal police investigation exonerated the officers.[12] In interviews Traoré's sister has stated that she believes that his death was the direct result of excessive use of force by the police whereas the 2 autopsies and 4 medical reports ordered by the magistrates conclude that the police officers were not responsible for his death.[13][14] On July 10, 2020 the magistrates in charge of investigating the death of Traoré ordered a new medical report but this time to be carried out by doctors in Belgium.[15]

His death sparked major protests in Paris, Lyon, and Toulouse under the slogan Justice pour Adama (Justice for Adama). The protests styled themselves after the American Black Lives Matter movement, and similarly focused on the grievance voiced that Black and Arab communities in France suffer disproportionately at the hands of the police.[16][2]

Legacy
On 2 June 2020 in Paris.

Traoré became a major symbol for anti-police brutality activists. His older sister, Assa Traoré, became an anti-racism activist as a result of his death.[14][5]

On 29 May 2020, French legal authorities released a final report clearing the three officers involved of wrongdoing, triggering renewed protests.[8] Protesters also expressed solidarity with the George Floyd protests that erupted in the United States and elsewhere beginning in late May. Demonstrations in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and Lille, honoured both Floyd and Traoré.[12] On 2 June, over 20,000 protesters marched again in Paris, along with 2,500 in Lille, 1,800 in Marseille, and 1,200 in Lyon.[6]

On 23 July 2020, French authorities recognized as proven charges of sexual assault by Traoré that had been the subject of a complaint in 2016 from a cellmate, some months before Traoré's death.[17]

References
  1. Truong, Fabien (2018). Radicalized Loyalties: Becoming Muslim in the West. p. 80.
  2. Zahir, Nabeela (2 September 2016). "In France, Black Lives Matter has become a rallying cry". al Jazeera. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  3. Halissat, Ismaël; Quentel, Amélie (1 August 2016). "Mort d'Adama Traoré : la vérité étouffée". Libération.fr (in French). Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  4. Okello, Christina (3 June 2020). "French police brutality in the spotlight as Adama Traoré death surfaces again". RFI. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  5. Amrani, Iman; Chrisafis, Angelique (17 February 2017). "Adama Traoré's death in police custody casts long shadow over French society". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  6. "Who is Adama Traore and why are there protests across France in his name?". The Local France. AFP. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  7. "Affaire Adama Traoré : ce qu'a dit le témoin-clé devant les juges d'instruction, quatre ans après sa première audition". Le Monde.fr (in French). 3 July 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  8. Cole, Brendan (3 June 2020). "Paris Protests Erupt over Adama Traoré, Young Black Man Who Died like 'Our Brother' George Floyd in Police Custody". Newsweek. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  9. "Mort d'Adama Traoré: une autre expertise affirme qu'il avait fumé du cannabis". LExpress.fr (in French). 11 August 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  10. "Who is Adama Traore and why are there protests across France in his name?". www.thelocal.fr. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  11. "Mort d'Adama Traoré: avant une nouvelle expertise, deux thèses qui s'affrontent". La Croix (in French). 30 January 2020. ISSN 0242-6056. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  12. "Adama Traoré: French anti-racism protests defy police ban". BBC News. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  13. DAUDIN, Par Fanny LATTACH et Guillaume (17 July 2020). "Mort d'Adama Traoré en 2016: marche avec des militants écologistes". Courrier picard (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  14. Konan, Aude (5 May 2020). "In Conversation: France's 'Black Lives Matter' Leader Assa Traoré is Still Fighting for Her Brother, Adama". OkayAfrica. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  15. le 10/07/2020 | 13:58, Par franceinfo-Radio France Mis à jour le 10/07/2020 | 16:10 – publié (10 July 2020). "Affaire Traoré : les juges d'instruction ordonnent une nouvelle expertise médicale, confiée à des médecins belges". Franceinfo (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  16. Grabar, Henry (1 February 2017). "France's Ferguson". Slate. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  17. K., S. (23 July 2020). "Adama Traoré : la justice indemnise son ancien codétenu pour violences sexuelles «avérées»". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 2 August 2020.
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