France probes live streaming death of man

Man's hand using rgb keyboard while live streaming

NICE, France — Prosecutors in the south of France said Tuesday they are investigating the death of a 46-year-old man who died during a live streaming event showing him being maltreated by two onscreen partners.

The man -- real name Raphael Graven, but known online as “Jean Pormanove” or “JP” -- had built a following by putting on live internet shows in which he was abused or humiliated.

Prosecutors in the city of Nice said he died Monday in the nearby village of Contes.

Internet users said that the video -- screened live on an Australian platform called Kick but widely shared afterwards -- showed Graven lying immobile under a bed cover as one of two men in the room with him threw a plastic water bottle in his direction.

The Nice prosecutors’ office said it had launched an investigation to determine the cause of death, and had ordered an autopsy.

Police in Nice have already for the past eight months been probing alleged “deliberate violent act” against “vulnerable people” that have been ending up as videos on the internet.

That investigation, started in December, sprang from a report by French outlet Mediapart revealing the existence of such videos, followed by thousands of viewers, especially on the Kick platform.

Asked about that investigation, Kick declined to provide any information, citing its policy of confidentiality.

The platform is seen as having less stringent user terms than those of its rival, the better-known Twitch streaming service.