Court orders retrial over deaths of French youths

Published on 01/11/2012 00:51

France’s highest court has ­ordered a retrial of police officers who were cleared of blame in the deaths of two teenagers seven years ago that triggered nationwide rioting.

In a ruling that averts possible tension in the suburbs ringing many French cities, the court ordered a retrial to fully assess accusations police failed to rescue two teenagers – 15-year-old Bouna Traore and 17-year-old Zyed Benna, who died after fleeing to an electrical substation.

The deaths on the night of October 27, 2005, sparked clashes between youths and riot police in the downtrodden suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois north of Paris.

In the following three weeks rioters burned thousands of cars, damaged buildings and opened fire on police. The unrest, which forced the government of ­president Jacques Chirac to ­impose emergency curfew measures, was mostly in the immigrant-heavy poverty-stricken social housing on city fringes.

Yesterday, the Cour de ­Cassation’s ruling overturned an April 2011 ruling that cleared two police officers.