France opens investigation into the drowning death of Syrian migrant Jumaa Al-Hasan

In a human rights move, the public prosecutor's office in Dunkirk, northern France, has opened a preliminary investigation into the drowning death of the Syrian migrant Jumaa Al-Hasan in a canal in the city of Gravelines in March 2024, and referred the case to the General Inspectorate of the National Police.

Charlotte Houet, the prosecutor of Dunkirk, announced on Saturday that the prosecution has opened a preliminary investigation on charges of "involuntary manslaughter" and "failure to provide assistance to a person in danger".

The public prosecutor for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) stated that "the investigations have been entrusted to the General Inspectorate of the National Police in the North (IGPN 59)", noting that the association "Utopia 56" filed a complaint against an unknown person before the public prosecutor.



The association "Utopia 56", which is involved in assisting migrants, announced last Tuesday that it had filed a complaint on charges of "involuntary manslaughter" and "failure to provide assistance to a person in danger" following the death of the Syrian young man Jumaa Al-Hasan, aged 27, during an illegal attempt to cross to England that was thwarted due to police intervention.

The complaint is based on an investigative report published by the "Disclose" platform and Arabic-speaking media, confirming that the Syrian Jumaa Al-Hasan "died as a result of a security intervention" on the night of March 2-3, 2024.