French streamers held over death in live broadcast

The French flag flies halfmast Monday, Dec. 23, 2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

Two French streamers were taken into custody Tuesday, prosecutors said, as part of a months-long probe into an on-camera death broadcast via the Kick platform.

The death in August of Raphael Graven, alias Jean Pormanove, live on the 200,000-follower video channel he shared with Owen Cenazandotti and Safine Hamadi shocked France and drew the ire of government ministers.

Cenazandotti, 26, and Safine, 23, have denied responsibility for 46-year-old Graven’s death, which followed a 12-day live marathon of physical and verbal abuse against him.

But they are now being held on charges including assault, incitement to hatred, abuse of a vulnerable person and recording and broadcasting violent images, said Damien Martinelli, chief prosecutor in the Mediterranean city Nice.

Prosecutors first opened a probe against the group in December 2024, months before Graven’s death, when they encountered footage of him being insulted and struck, having his hair pulled and being shot with paintball guns.

All three streamers were held in January last year but released after they insisted the on-screen violence was all part of “an act aimed at creating buzz so as to earn money”.

Graven died on August 18 during a livestream in which he and another man were struck and insulted by his younger colleagues, though an autopsy has since ruled out “intervention by a third party” playing a role in his death.

Ministers in August announced separate legal action against the Australia-based Kick platform, which is also under investigation by Paris prosecutors.