A major controversy has erupted over the death of a young black man after he was detained by police in Paris.<\/p>\n
Ange Dibenesha, 31, was arrested in the French capital on Wednesday evening after his car was stopped by police.<\/p>\n
His family said they heard nothing from him until they received a phone call from a local hospital on Friday, informing them that he was brain dead.<\/p>\n
An autopsy revealed he died of a heart failure. Police said he swallowed an unknown substance during his arrest.<\/p>\n
News of Mr Dibenesha’s death, which was formally announced on Sunday, was met with anger online, with social media users demanding an explanation using the hashtag\u00a0#JusticePourAnge<\/a>.<\/p>\n As the demands mounted, many French people drew parallels to the death of young black men in police custody in the US \u2013 a catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement.<\/p>\n At approximately 01:50 local time (02:50 GMT) on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, police stopped a man’s BMW vehicle. They found that he was driving without a valid licence and also tested positive for alcohol.<\/p>\n Some 20 minutes later, as police were waiting on a vehicle to take the man into custody, he “ingested an unidentified substance”, the statement said.<\/p>\n He shortly began convulsing and was rushed to hospital.<\/p>\n On Monday, Mr Dibenesha’s autopsy results found that he had died of a heart failure, possibly as a result of a toxic substance.<\/p>\n In a statement to the media \u2013 which does not name Mr Dibenesha \u2013 police said the young man had ingested an unknown substance during the police stop.<\/p>\n Several French media outlets have reported that the substance was a narcotic, citing police or judicial sources. But no official cause has yet been announced, pending test results.<\/p>\n His family was not notified until Friday, by which time he was reportedly brain dead, and doctors were planning to switch off life support.<\/p>\n The online outrage began after his mother released a video explaining the situation and the lack of information about her son’s arrest.<\/p>\n The delay prompted a storm of allegations about police violence leading to the death of the young man, and allegations of racial profiling.<\/p>\n Even senior politicians raised concerns. Former education minister Beno\u00eet Hamon said: “When a young man is the subject of a police check, is placed in custody and is returned to his family 48 hours later in a state of cerebral death, society has a duty to call for lights to be shed on the facts, and the state has a duty to answer it.”<\/p>\n As the controversy exploded, Mr Dibenesha’s mother released another video message, in which she thanked people for their support- but asked that they not spread false information about her son’s death.<\/p>\n French news outlet Franceinfo reported that the delay in notifying his family was not for any sinister purpose, but rather due to the “several identities” Mr Dibenesha was known by.<\/p>\n His car contained “documents bearing several names, which complicated the task of the police”, it said, citing a judicial source.<\/p>\n Some social media users continued to express concern over Mr Dibenesha’s death despite the police statements.<\/p>\n Police in France have faced a wave of criticism in recent years and allegations of unnecessary force.<\/p>\n The case of Adama Traore, who died in police custody in 2016<\/a>, prompted protests amid allegations of a police cover-up – and was frequently referenced by social media users criticising the police over the death of Mr Dibenesha.<\/p>\n Then, in early 2017,\u00a0the alleged rape of a young black man resulted in clashes with police<\/a>\u00a0in the streets amid protests. Further protests followed a month later when\u00a0police shot and killed a Chinese man<\/a>\u00a0after responding to a domestic dispute.<\/p>\n In the past several months,\u00a0allegations of violence against protesters of the “gilets jaunes” (yellow vests) movement<\/a>\u00a0have also plagued France’s police.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What happened to Mr Dibenesha?<\/h2>\n
What has been the response?<\/h2>\n