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Following a plea deal, former police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced Thursday to 21 years in prison for “violating the civil rights” of George Floyd, the 40-year-old black man he suffocated with his knee in May 2020, in an act of police violence that generated a massive wave of historic anti-racist protests in the North American nation.
White police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced on Thursday, July 7, to 21 years in prison by a US federal court for suffocating African-American George Floyd with his knee.
The former agent, 46, had already been sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for murder in the state of Minnesota, but has appealed the sentence.
The 40-year-old black man’s federal “civil rights violation” sentence is final, as it is the result of a plea agreement. It can be served at the same time as the other sentence, said St. Paul Judge Paul Magnuson, giving him credit for the seven months he has already spent in custody.
“I don’t know why you did it, but putting your knee on someone’s neck until they die is wrong. And for that you should be severely punished,” the magistrate explained.
No apologies or regrets
In a short speech, Derek Chauvin wished the children of George Floyd “success in life”, without apologizing or expressing any remorse.
His mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, assured that he was not a ruthless racist, before adding “all lives matter, regardless of skin color”, appropriating the slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’, which led the massive wave of protests after the murder. of the African American in the spring of 2020.
The deceased’s brother, Philonise Floyd, called for the “maximum sentence” against Derek Chauvin, saying he had not slept since the tragedy.
On May 25, 2020, the veteran Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost ten minutes, indifferent to the interventions of the distraught bystanders and the groans of the African American. The scene, filmed and posted online, sparked huge protests against racism and police violence across the United States and beyond.
In a spring 2021 trial in Minnesota state court, his attorney argued that George Floyd had died of an overdose, combined with failing health, and claimed that Derek Chauvin had used justified force. He failed to convince the jury and the former police officer was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison. He appealed the verdict.
At the same time, the federal government presented its own case, accusing him and his three former colleagues of “violating the constitutional rights” of George Floyd, specifically “the right not to be subjected to the unreasonable use of force by an officer.” of cop”.
federal prison
These types of “dual” prosecutions are allowed in the United States, but they are relatively rare, and reflect the importance of this case, which has reopened a heated debate about the racist past of the American nation.
In the federal case, he initially pleaded not guilty but changed his tack in December 2021, admitting responsibility for the first time.
In his guilty confession, he admitted using excessive force “knowingly wrong” and “without legal justification.” He had also admitted wrongdoing in the abuse of a 14-year-old black boy in 2017, holding him below the knee for 15 minutes.
In exchange for his guilty plea, it was agreed that Derek Chauvin would serve his sentence in a federal prison instead of the state’s maximum security prison, where he is currently being held in solitary confinement to protect him from other inmates.
*With AFP; adapted from its French version
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