FRANCE: African immigrant's death by Taser sparks debate

(GIN)—The killing of an African immigrant last week by French police armed with Taser electric stun guns has revived a debate over use of the deadly weapon.

The immigrant, from Mali, whose name has not been released, died after Parisian police shot him twice with a Taser, tear-gassed and struck him with a night stick. Police said the 38-year-old man had attacked officers with a hammer after being asked for identity papers.

French prosecutors have ordered an inquiry to determine the exact cause of death.

The use of the Taser which fires darts carrying a 50,000 volt shock, has caused controversy around the world. A five-year study in Australia published in October found that police there had used Taser guns against people with mental illness in a disproportionately high number of cases.

In June, a Canadian inquiry ruled that officers were not justified in using a Taser gun five times on a Polish immigrant at Vancouver airport in 2007.

“A Taser has never killed anyone,” the director of the Taser’s French subsidiary, Antoine di Zazzo, told the news agency AFP.

Opposition to Tasers is mounting, lead by the French group RAIDH (Intervention Network for Human Rights) and in the U.N. where the Committee against Torture has expressed concern that “the use of these weapons can cause acute pain, constituting a form of torture, and in some cases it can even cause death.”

Amnesty International has also documented more than 351 individual deaths by police Tasering in the U.S. alone since June 2001. Most of the victims were not carrying a weapon.

Taser attack immigrant may have died asphyxiated

December 3, 2010
RFI

A Malian immigrant who died after French police used a Taser on him probably succumbed to asphyxiation, according to a preliminary report of an autopsy carried out this week. But his heart may have been affected by the use of the stun gun
The man’s death on Monday night caused renewed calls for a ban on Tasers by far-left politician Olvier Besancenot, who has campaigned on the issue for some time. The left-wing Front de Gauche and human rights groups, Raid-H and Mrap, echoed his demand.

Philippe Sarre, the Socialist mayor of Colombes, the suburb of Paris where the incident took place, has also declared that the weapon should be banned “if it turns out to be lethal”.

But the preliminary autopsy report was extremely cautious in its analysis of the cause of death.

There is “no certain, unique and absolute cause of death”, it said. The man “died of acute asphyxiation caused by inhaling gas since blood was found in his lungs”, it reports but adds that his heart was “hard and contracted possibly due to the use of the Taser”.

The police used tear gas and batons when the man, who had no valid residency papers, ran away from them, later attacking four officers with a hammer.

Police watchdog IGS has been ordered to investigate the use of Tasers by French police.

Immigrant dies following police Taser shooting in France

November 30, 2010
RFI

November 30, 2010: Mohamadau Marega, 38, Paris, France

A Malian immigrant died Tuesday after French police shot him twice with a Taser stun gun during a clash in the Paris suburb of Colombes, a police spokesperson told the AFP wire service.

"During his arrest, a Taser was used twice. Following the intervention, the person died of a cause that remains to be determined," the spokesperson said.

The incident occurred just after midnight Monday when police were called to a disturbance involving the 38-year-old Malian, who was allegedly staying in France illegally, and a friend with whom he was staying.

When officers attempted to check his identity papers the man "flipped out" and seized a hammer, injuring four of the eight police who pursued him through the apartment block, a police source said.

The director of Taser's French subsidiary, Antoine di Zazzo, told AFP: "Only this man's autopsy will be able to say whether our pistol is responsible for his death. To date, worldwide, a Taser has never killed anyone."

Although Taser has thus far been successful in defending the safety of its weapon in court cases around the world, authorities in Canada and Australia are still investigating whether it was to blame in some deaths.

Human rights groups and left-wingers have criticised its use by French police.

Local prosecutors have ordered an inquiry to determine the cause of the man’s death.

Radio-Canada sells its television documentaries on the taser controversy to Canal+ in France

Le Groupe Canal+, en France, a acheté et diffusera sur ses ondes un condensé de la série de reportages de Radio-Canada Taser: l'arme de la controverse. La série, qui faisait le point sur cette arme de défense, avait été diffusée dans le cadre des émissions Enjeux et Enquête à la SRC et The National sur CBC. Canal+ a acquis les quatre volets de la série pour en faire une version courte, de 26 minutes, présentée dans le cadre de Spécial investigation à différentes heures de la journée entre le 18 et le 24 octobre, sur les ondes de Canal+ et Canal+ Décalé.

And now, back to our regular programming.

FRANCE: French court suspends Taser use for local cops

The State Council strikes down a law allowing France’s local police officers to carry Taser guns as an alternative to handguns in response to a suit filed by a human rights group.

Paris – A French court Wednesday suspended the use of Taser stun guns for local police, after ruling they had been rolled out last year without proper training and safeguards.

The State Council, the highest court of appeal, struck down a September 2008 government decree allowing France's 20,000 local police officers to carry Taser guns.

Municipal officers joined 4,600 national police and gendarmes who already use the weapon, which packs a 50,000-volt punch that can paralyse targets from up to 10 yards (meters) away, and is intended as an alternative to handguns.

In practice, a few dozen local police stations had started to arm officers with the guns.

But the court, responding to a suit filed by the RAIDH rights group, found that the government had green-lighted use of the Taser without putting in place proper training and evaluation mechanisms.

"The specificities of this new type of weapon require its use to be closely controlled and monitored," said the court ruling.

"That has been the case for its use by national police officers. Short of a similar and sufficiently precise system for local police officers, the decree allowing them to be equipped is cancelled."

Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said the government would draw up a new decree incorporating the training requirements for local police.

To date, 4,615 Tasers have been issued to France's national police and gendarme force. They were used 280 times in 2007 without causing serious injury, cutting handgun use by 15 percent, according to police chiefs.

Many officials see the Taser as a safer alternative to the handgun, which local officers have been authorised to carry since 2000.

But human rights activists have criticized Taser guns, challenging manufacturer claims that they are safe and non-lethal.

A December 2008 report from Amnesty International said 334 people had died after being shocked by Tasers between 2001 and August 2008.

Anonymous wrote to me today regarding the French spy case re-reported below. Here's what Anonymous wants to know:

This guy is not a Taser employee, why are you posting false information??? This guy runs his own independent company that sell stun guns. What's your point here other then harassment??

To which, I replied:

Well, anonymous, there are many police officers who are not taser employees either, yet I post reports about police officers almost daily. This entire issue has dark, dank corners worldwide that haven’t yet seen the light of day. I sweep up the dustballs that catch my eye and deposit them into this one place (truthnottasers) until the day when someone can finally piece together the puzzle. That was the original intent of this website and so it remains. I am not here to harass anyone at all. Believe me, I don’t make this stuff up – who could?! I simply re-report it for the many who DO think I (and others) may be onto something. I believe it's all pretty relevant and relational.

French spy case suspect says he hired private eye

October 17, 2008

PARIS (AP) - The head of the French distributor of Taser stun guns has acknowledged hiring a private eye to gather information about far-left politician Olivier Besancenot. Antoine Di Zazzo, who heads Taser distributor SMP Technologies, was one of seven people handed initial charges in a probe Thursday. The investigation grew out of Besancenot's complaint that he and his family were spied on. Besancenot has spoken out against Tasers, saying the stun guns were responsible for 150 deaths in the U.S.

Di Zazzo acknowledges he paid a private detective agency to find out where Besancenot lived and get information about property he owned. In a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Di Zazzo denied that amounted to spying.

Head of Taser distributor in France arrested

October 15, 2008
Andrew Johnson, Arizona Republic

French police arrested the head of a company that distributes stun guns in France for Scottsdale-based Taser International Inc. on Tuesday, according to foreign news reports.

Authorities detained Antoine Di Zazzo and nine other people, including police officers and private detectives, on suspicion that they spied on Olivier Besancenot, a former presidential candidate in France who publicly questioned the safety of Taser's devices, reports stated.

Di Zazzo runs SMP Technologies, which has had an agreement with Taser since 2005 to exclusively distribute the company's stun guns to law-enforcement agencies in France.

Some news reports referred to Di Zazzo's company as "Taser France." But Taser spokesman Steve Tuttle said Di Zazzo is not a Taser employee, and Taser does not own or operate SMP.

"Antoine is purely a distributor in France," Tuttle said.

"He is not an employee in any way, shape or form."

France: ten people detained on suspicion of spying on ex-presidential candidate

October 14, 2008
Radio France International

Ten people were detained by Paris police on Tuesday on suspicion of spying on Olivier Besancenot, the spokesman for France's Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (LCR) party. Besancenot is a former presidential candidate and while he took only four per cent of the vote in 2007, he is regularly identified as one of the most popular politicians on the left in France.

The ten brought into custody include policemen, detectives from a private detective agency and Antoine di Zazzo, the head of the company that sells Taser guns in France. They were detained as part of a probe into claims by Besancenot, following an investigation by Express magazine, that he has been spied on from October 2007 to January this year.

SMP technologies is taking Besancenot to court for having referred to the number of people who have died in the US from Taser pistols which fires 50,000 volts as a "non-lethal" deterrant. This trial is due to open next week on 20 October.

Beseancenot has said Di Zazzo is "seeking 50,000 euros from me just because I drew attention to an Amnesty International report", referring to an Amnesty document that says Taser weapons have caused hundreds of deaths and have called for a moratorium on their use.

Di Zazzo is suspected of having commissioned police, private detectives and bank employees to spy on the LCR spokesman. Last May the businessman denied the accusations saying, "We never asked to have Mr. Besancenot followed - Why would we? His private life is of interest to us."

The suspicions concern the consulting of the vehicle registation and bank account details of Besancenot as well as photographs of his partner and child outside their home.

Reports in France on Tuesday claimed a link had already been established between the detective agency, which is run by a former police officer, and Di Zazzo's SMP Technologies.

News of the detentions comes shortly after opposition in France to a new Intelligence-gathering bill, called Edvige. Besancenot said the allegation of the spying plot was "one more reason to oppose Edvige."

And just last week in France, this news: Two bailiffs presented Monday to the mayor of Lille a summons on behalf of Martine Aubry from the company SMP Technologies, the exclusive distributor in France of the TASER X 26. Asked last Sunday on Canal, whether he would equip municipal police officers in her city with the X23 the mayor responded, "It's dangerous there have already been 290 deaths in North America" she said. The use of this equipment by municipal police officers was authorized in late September by an order of the Ministry of Interior. Antoine Di Zazzo, owner of SMP Technologies, said he was shocked by the statements of Martine Aubry he has since tried in vain to call her. He therefore decided to send a summons giving him 48 hours to "prove the facts of the 290 victims of which she spoke." "When we assume the highest responsibilities, we must therefore speak responsibly with out outlandish accusations." he says. If he does not give the names, we will sue for derogatory slander of our product. SMP Technologies has already a defamation suit against Olivier Besancenot who also spoke of Taser deaths.

France’s 20,000 local police to carry stun guns

September 25, 2008
Expatica.com

PARIS -- France's 20,000 local police officers will be able to carry Taser stun guns under a decree published Tuesday, despite calls from human rights groups for the weapon's use to be suspended.

Municipal officers will join the national police and gendarmes in using the weapon, which packs a 50,000-volt punch that can paralyse targets from up to 10 metres away, and is intended as an alternative to handguns.

Local mayors will have to apply for individual permits for each officer, who will receive a Taser blast as part of their training, under the decree published in the government's official gazette.

Many officials see it as a safer alternative to the handgun, which local officers have been authorised to carry since 2000.

According to the head of Taser France, Antoine Di Zazzo, 346 mayors have expressed an interest in the newest Taser X26 model, which has a built-in camera to record the scene each time it is used.

To date, 4,615 Tasers have been issued to France's national police and gendarme force.

According to police chiefs, Tasers were used 280 times without causing serious injury, cutting handgun usage by 15 percent in 2007.

But France's opposition Socialist Party is firmly opposed to rolling out the Taser to local police.

Amnesty International says that more than 290 people have died around the world after being zapped with a Taser and is demanding a moratorium on the weapon's use while a full investigation is conducted.

Taser France says the figures do not apply to the Taser X26 model.

A United Nations committee ruled in November 2007 that the Taser's use constitutes "a form of torture" which can result in death.

The UN criticism followed a string of deaths in the United States and Canada that occurred after police used Tasers to subdue people, including a Polish man who was filmed dying after being stunned at Vancouver airport.

Taser responded by saying the UN committee was "out of touch with modern policing".

Decree authorises use of tasers by French local police

September 23, 2008
France 24 International News

France's 20,000 local police officers will be able to carry Taser stun guns under a decree published Tuesday, despite calls from human rights groups for the weapon's use to be suspended.

Municipal officers will join the national police and gendarmes in using the weapon, which packs a 50,000-volt punch that can paralyse targets from up to 10 yards (meters) away, and is intended as an alternative to handguns.

Local mayors will have to apply for individual permits for each officer, who will have to receive a Taser blast as part of their training, under the decree published in the government's official gazette.

Many officials see it as a safer alternative to the handgun, which local officers have been authorised to carry since 2000.

According to the head of Taser France, Antoine Di Zazzo, 346 mayors have expressed an interest in the newest Taser X26 model, which has a built-in camera to record the scene each time its used.

To date, 4,615 Tasers have been issued to France's national police and gendarme force. They were used 280 times last year without causing serious injury, cutting handgun use by 15 percent, according to police chiefs.

But France's opposition Socialist Party is firmly opposed to rolling out the Taser to local police.

Amnesty International says that more than 290 people have died around the world after being zapped with a Taser and is demanding a moratorium on the weapon's use while a full investigation is conducted.

Taser France says the figures does not apply to the Taser X26 model.

A United Nations committee ruled in November last year that the Taser's use constitutes "a form of torture" which can result in death.

The UN criticism followed a string of deaths in the United States and Canada that occurred after police used Tasers to subdue people, including a Polish man who was filmed dying after being stunned at Vancouver airport.

Taser responded by saying the UN committee was "out of touch with modern policing".

French taser seller loses lawsuit against Amnesty

PARIS, March 11, 2008

(Reuters) - The French distributor of Taser (TASR.O: Quote, Profile, Research) stun guns lost a suit it filed against human rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday, court documents showed.

A Paris court ordered SMP Technologies, which supplies the French police, to pay legal fees and 3,000 euros ($4,600) in fines to Amnesty for bringing an unwarranted suit against it over a paper the group published denouncing the Taser.

Amnesty said in May 2007 that 220 deaths had been linked to the gun, and that French police-model Tasers had been put up for sale at the online auction site eBay. They later retracted their statement about the police model.

"We have admitted that we were wrong about the X26 appearing on eBay, but our position regarding Taser deaths is clear," said Benoit Muracciole, arms control director for Amnesty France.

"Research we conducted for 2001 to 2006 shows that in around 220 cases in the United States and Canada, people have died after being hit by a Taser blast," he said.

Canada's national police force decided last December to restrict their use of the gun after a video of a dying Polish man hit by a police Taser provoked widespread outrage.

The Taser stun gun incapacitates people through a 50,000-volt jolt of electricity, and the same charge is used in sleeker civilian models. Police say they are a needed non-lethal alternative to firearms.

Taser says there is no scientific proof the gun has caused any deaths. The company had record revenue figures in February, after reporting revenues of more than $100 million in 2007.

French Taser seller loses lawsuit against Amnesty

March 11, 2008
Reuters

The French distributor of Taser stun guns lost a suit it filed against human rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday, court documents showed.

A Paris court ordered SMP Technologies, which supplies the French police, to pay legal fees and 3,000 euros ($4,600) in fines to Amnesty for bringing an unwarranted suit against it over a paper the group published denouncing the Taser.

Amnesty said in May 2007 that 220 deaths had been linked to the gun, and that French police-model Tasers had been put up for sale at the online auction site eBay. They later retracted their statement about the police model.

"We have admitted that we were wrong about the X26 appearing on eBay, but our position regarding Taser deaths is clear," said Benoit Muracciole, arms control director for Amnesty France.

"Research we conducted for 2001 to 2006 shows that in around 220 cases in the United States and Canada, people have died after being hit by a Taser blast," he said.

Canada’s national police force decided last December to restrict their use of the gun after a video of a dying Polish man hit by a police Taser provoked widespread outrage.

The Taser stun gun incapacitates people through a 50,000-volt jolt of electricity, and the same charge is used in sleeker civilian models. Police say they are a needed non-lethal alternative to firearms.

Taser says there is no scientific proof the gun has caused any deaths. The company had record revenue figures in February, after reporting revenues of more than $100 million in 2007.

Taser seller sues Amnesty International

March 5, 2008
ABC News

The French reseller of Taser stun guns, dogged by scandals over Taser-linked deaths in Canada and the United States, has taken Amnesty International to court for harming its reputation.

In May last year, the French branch of Amnesty issued a statement claiming that a Taser gun had been put up for auction on eBay and that 220 US deaths had been linked to the Taser gun.

Following a complaint from SMP Technologies, which has imported and supplied Taser guns to the French army, police and gendarmerie since 2004, Amnesty later said it had sent out the statement by mistake.

Upon investigation, the rights group said the object for sale on eBay had turned out to be a publicity gadget, not a Taser gun.

According to SMP's lawyer, Catherine Hennequin, Amnesty agreed to publish a clarification but has yet to do so eight months on, and has continued to claim that deaths were linked to the weapon's use.

Amnesty's lawyer Simon Foreman says his client was mistaken about the eBay sale, but not about the "dangerous nature" of the Taser itself, accusing SMP of taking legal action "with the sole aim of intimidation".

Amnesty International says around 300 people have died around the world after being zapped with a Taser and has called for the weapon's use to be suspended while a full investigation is conducted.

The Taser packs a 50,000-volt punch that can paralyse targets from up to 10 metres away. The United Nations Committee against Torture ruled in November that its use constitutes "a form of torture" which can result in death.

The UN criticism followed a string of deaths in the United States and Canada that occurred after police used Tasers to subdue people, including a Polish man who was filmed dying after being stunned at Vancouver airport.

A verdict in the French trial is due on March 11.

Amnesty 'ruining' taser's reputation

March 5, 2008
Agence France-Presse

THE French reseller of Taser stun guns, dogged by scandals over Taser-linked deaths, has taken Amnesty International to court for harming its reputation.

In May 2007, the French branch of Amnesty issued a statement claiming 220 US deaths had been linked to a Taser gun put up for auction on eBay. After a complaint from SMP Technologies, which has supplied Taser guns to the French army, police and gendarmerie since 2004, Amnesty said it had sent out the statement by mistake. An investigation showed the eBay item was a publicity gadget, not a Taser gun, Amnesty said.

SMP's lawyer, Catherine Hennequin, said Amnesty agreed to publish a clarification but has yet to do so eight months on, and has continued to claim deaths were linked to the weapon's use.

Amnesty's lawyer Simon Foreman said his client was mistaken about the eBay sale, but not about the "dangerous nature" of the Taser itself. He accused SMP of taking legal action "with the sole aim of intimidation".

Amnesty International says 300 people have died around the world after being zapped with a Taser and has called for the weapon's use to be suspended pending a full investigation.

The Taser packs a 50,000-volt punch that can paralyse targets from up to 10m away. The UN Committee against Torture ruled in November that its use constitutes "a form of torture" which can result in death.

The UN criticism followed a string of deaths in the US and Canada after police used Tasers to subdue people, including a Polish man who was filmed dying after being stunned at Vancouver airport.

A verdict in the French trial is due on March 11.

Taser shares climb on news of possible $300 million purchase by France

September 17, 2007 Update:
Taser gets new order from France

June 18, 2007 Update:
TASER FLAT AFTER SARKOZY WIN

June 11, 2007
Bloomberg News as reported in The Arizona Republic

Toutes nos condoléances au peuple de la France.