France: Trial of police officers in Cédric Chouviat death faces potential delay

The trial concerning the 2020 death of Cédric Chouviat, a 42-year-old delivery driver, faces potential postponement. Chouviat died on January 5, 2020, following a confrontation with four police officers in central Paris on January 3. Video footage shows Chouviat, pinned to the ground with a helmet on, repeating “I am suffocating” nine times over 13 seconds, though the officers involved claim they did not hear his pleas.

Three officers are currently on trial. One officer, Michaël P., used a chokehold—a technique that is now prohibited—to bring the driver to the ground. While defense lawyers argue the intervention was legitimate and that officers could not perceive his physical distress, the Defender of Rights previously ruled in April 2026 that the officers’ behavior was “unsuitable, negligent, and imprudent.”

Legal tensions are high as the victim's family intends to contest the charge of “involuntary manslaughter” at the start of the proceedings. Meanwhile, defense counsel has accused the civil parties of attempting to monopolize the judicial debate.