VANGUARD
Six police officers are facing manslaughter charges, in a Swiss court case that opened on Monday, over the death of a 39-year-old Nigerian.
The Nigerian national Mike Ben Peter died from a heart attack after he was pinned, face-down, for several minutes during his arrest, in a case echoing the 2020 killing of George Floyd in the United States.
But, there is no footage of the incident leading to Ben Peter’s death, unlike in the George Floyd case, where his final moments were captured in a video that was shared and sparked worldwide protest.
While in the US, Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in 2021 based on cellphone footage showing him kneeling on Floyd’s neck, Ben Peter’s death in 2018 received little attention beyond the western Swiss city where it occurred, which saw a small-scale demonstration, reported France 24.
The officers, whose identities remained undisclosed due to Swiss privacy laws, face charges of “homicide by neglect” before a Lausanne criminal court. They all contest the charges and will seek acquittal, their lawyers said…
