Swiss Court Acquits Officers Over Death of Nigerian
29 June 2023
A court in Switzerland has acquitted six police officers charged in connection with the death of a 39-year-old Nigerian man who had a heart attack while they held him down.
The judges said it was impossible to say whether Mike Ben Peter had died as a result of police action.
When the verdict was announced, there were shouts of “shame” in the courtroom, and protests outside.
The lawyers for Mr Peter’s family had argued that police had used disproportionate violence during the arrest.
The protesters say the case has worrying similarities with the murder of George Floyd in the United States in 2020.