Family of 2012 Police Custody Death Victim Challenges Forensic Report in France

Wissam El Yamni, a 30-year-old truck driver, had been arrested on December 31, 2011 in the Gauthière neighborhood of Clermont-Ferrand. He had just stoned a police car. His arrest was extremely violent. He fell into a coma after his passage through the police station and died on January 9, 2012 at the hospital.

9 years later, the El Yamni family wants to know the real causes of his death. The latest 2019 report reveals that death may have been caused by "the intervention of a third party." The family believes that this report contradicts the hypotheses put forward by a panel of experts commissioned by the justice system in 2013. According to these hypotheses, the death would be linked to the absorption of cocaine.

During a recent press conference, Farid, the victim’s brother, and one of the family’s lawyers, Henri Braun, announced that they will file a complaint against the forensic pathologist, reports Bondy Blog. "We are filing a criminal complaint against the forensic pathologist Michel Sapanet," said the family’s lawyer. "We will also seize the Order of Physicians to take stock and understand why there is so much delay in this case," he added.

To date, some witnesses have not been heard, Farid recalls. "From the moment those who prevent us from finding the truth, refuse to acknowledge their responsibility, our strategy today is to attack these people," claims the victim’s brother. According to the family and their lawyer, the case files have not been properly exploited. These are the photos of Wissam which, according to Farid, are "backdated", videos that have not been exploited, "oriented" witness interviews and "affirmative" rather than "demonstrative" expert reports.

"On the human, scientific, legal, and legitimate levels, it is a huge injustice. Justice has been blocked," the Riom Court of Appeal in charge of the proper conduct of the investigation declared in 2017. Without any court decision for 9 years, Wissam’s family seems determined to go all the way. "We want to start over on a good basis to finally get to a trial," said Mr. Braun. "Now we are changing our stance. We don’t want a justice based on lies but on the truth," Farid hinted.