| | France: The search for justice : The effective impunity of law enforcement officers in cases of shootings, deaths in ... (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-30) |
 | | Whereas police officers are obliged to abide by legal provisions on "legitimate defence", gendarmes have had the powers to halt fleeing or escaping suspects by firing at them, as long as the officers concerned were in uniform and had made a warning signal first, such as firing a shot into the air. |
 | | The problem of identifying police officers who may have been involved in a human rights violation arises mainly when an alleged victim of police abuse has no witnesses independently of police officers; when officers refuse to testify against their colleagues or when testimonies are not sought by those conducting the inquiry. |
 | | The police officers appealed against the sentence, and in February 2002 the 10-month suspended prison sentence was reduced to an eight-month suspended prison term, thereby making the officers eligible for an amnesty and allowing them to continue their careers in the police force. |
| web.amnesty.org /library/index/engeur210012005 (16881 words) |