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A French police officer will face a murder trial next year over the 2023 killing of teenager Nahel Merzouk, authorities said on Tuesday.
The trial of the 38-year-old officer — a decision reached at the end of a two-year investigation — could take place in the second or third quarter of 2026, the court and prosecutor in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the killing at point-blank range took place, said in a joint statement.
The lawyer for Merzouk’s mother, Frank Berton, welcomed the order for a trial.
“We are just seeing the law being applied (…) Now all that remains is to convince the court,” he told the domestic press.
Meanwhile, the defendant’s lawyer criticised the decision, adding it was “both disappointing and not surprising.”
“The investigating judge would have had to be courageous to take a different position than that of the prosecution,” Laurent-Franck Liénard, the officer’s lawyer said, adding that he would appeal against the order.
“We maintain that the shooting was legitimate,” he said.
The officer, identified by domestic media as Florian M, was charged with Merzouk’s murder.
He was released from custody in November 2023 after five months in detention pending further investigation. He is currently under judicial supervision, meaning his movements are restricted.
Racial discrimination
Merzouk, a teenager of North African descent, was shot dead on 27 June 2023 as he pulled away from police during a traffic stop.
Police initially maintained that Merzouk had driven his car at the officer.
However, this was contradicted by a video which showed two officers standing outside a stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at its driver.
A voice was heard saying: “You are going to get a bullet in the head.”
Video footage of the shooting itself went viral and sparked protests that escalated into rioting and led to scenes of devastation nationwide. Thousands of people were arrested as the government ratcheted up its law enforcement response to quell the unrest, injuring hundreds.
Between 2022 and Merzouk’s murder the following year, 15 people were killed by police during traffic stops. Not all officers were charged.
After the death of Merzouk, the UN called on France to address “the deep-rooted problems of racism and racial discrimination” in its police force.
Meanwhile, the Council of Europe’s human rights monitoring body, ECRI, warned last month that law enforcement officials across Europe continue to use racial profiling.
The ECRI has long recommended that French authorities introduce an effective system of recording identity checks by law enforcement officers.
“France is one country of concern when it comes to racial profiling,” ECRI chair Bertil Cottier told Euronews.
“We noticed a couple of months ago sadly that our recommendation on combating racial profiling — in particular on tracing the police officers who (incorrectly) stopped people — has been ignored so far,” he added.
