Police officers charged in deaths that sparked riots in France

Last Updated: Thursday, February 8, 2007 | 11:22 AM ET

CBC News

Two French police officers were charged Thursday in connection with the electrocution deaths of two teenagers, an incident that sparked weeks of rioting in France more than a year ago.

A judge in the Paris suburb of Bobigny charged the officers with "non-assistance to people in danger," which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000 US.

The two teens — aged 17 and 15 — were electrocuted on Oct. 27, 2005, as they hid from police in a suburban Paris power station.

An internal police report released in December confirmed the officers had been chasing the teens before they were killed, something police had earlier denied.

The report faulted the officers' handling of the case, saying they should have immediately informed the French energy company that runs the power station that people were hiding inside.

The three weeks of riots were the worst unrest in France since student and worker protests during the 1960s.

Rioters set fire to about 9,000 vehicles, torched and vandalized buildings, and sometimes battled in the streets with police.

Many of the rioters were the children and grandchildren of North African immigrants, leading some observers to conclude that racism and high unemployment were at least partly to blame for the unrest.