The expatriation of the investigation will allow in particular a magistrate, present at the event and who had been charged with the beginning of the investigation, to be heard during the investigation.

The Court of Cassation ordered Wednesday the expatriation in Lyon of the investigation into the death of Zineb Redouane, an octogenarian affected by a tear gas grenade shot on the sidelines of a demonstration of "yellow vests" in Marseille in December, learned the l AFP from judicial source.

Change of scenery for the "serenity" of judicial information

On 1 December, violent incidents broke out on the sidelines of several demonstrations, in particular that of "yellow vests". Zineb Redouane, 80, was hit in the face by pieces of tear gas as she was at her window on the fourth floor. She had died the next day at the hospital.

The public prosecutor's office of Aix-en-Provence had asked for this change of scenery for the "serenity" of the judicial information and "in the interest of a good administration of justice". In his application, the Attorney General Robert Gelli noted that, according to two testimonies of CRS, a magistrate of the public prosecutor of Marseilles was present on the place of the demonstration in the frame of its functions.

This magistrate was then charged with the beginning of the investigation, until it was entrusted to an examining magistrate of Marseilles, on December 4th. "This magistrate could be likely to provide useful information" on the facts and will likely be heard during the investigation, "even if his responsibility can in no case be sought," said in his request the Prosecutor General Robert Gelli.

A "state affair"

The tragedy that occurred during a law enforcement operation, the responsibility of "local authorities" could be sought, he added. The lawyers of the family of Zineb Redouane had also called for disorientation as soon as possible this file, which it considers to be a "matter of State".

The relatives have filed several complaints and also seized the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM), saying that the Marseille prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux had "breached its ethical obligations." Zineb Redouane is to this day the only person who died on the sidelines of the movement of "yellow vests" for which the responsibility of the police is implicated.