About six police officers are facing homicide charges in connection with the death of a Nigerian man, after he suffered a heart attack from “excessive use of force”.
Mike Ben Peter, 39, died in 2018 after being arrested and pinned face-down for several minutes by the police in the city of Lausanne
The accused have all pleaded not guilty stating that other factors caused his death.
Ben Peter’s death triggered protests by activists who have accused the Swiss police of institutional racism – charges the force denied.
According to the indictment, the officers first noticed Peter during a drug patrol after he collected a bag later shown to contain marijuana, adding that Peter did not comply with police requests and the officers used pepper spray and knee kicks to the ribs and groping to get him on the ground and handcuff him.
Ben Peter was later pronounced dead after a heart attack with multiple causes, the indictment said, including the fact that he was held on his stomach and subjected to stress but also his obesity.
The officers each face a maximum sentence of three years in prison if convicted.
