E/CN.4/2000/9 page 91 while riding a motorbike without a helmit. He was allegedly punched, struck with a truncheon and subjected to racial epithets. Together with a friend who was riding with him, he was reportedly handcuffed, forced to kneel and threatened and insulted. He is said to have been detained for nearly 12 hours at the Enghien-les-Bains police station, although neither his family nor a lawyer was informed. He reportedly received no treatment. A policeman is said to have ordered him to say he had refused to see a lawyer and had hurt himself in a fall. A medical report dated 8 April from Emile-Roux hospital in Eaubonne nevertheless seems to substantiate his allegations. His parents have submitted a complaint to the Pontoise examining magistrate. 447. Ahmed Hamed, an Egyptian lawyer, was reportedly mistreated on a visit to France on 16 October 1997 by four policemen who apparently mistook him for someone else. While in Puteau in the Paris environs, he was allegedly forced into a car parked on the street. Fearing a kidnapping, he resisted and was then reportedly struck, his tibia in fact being fractured. He was not examined by a physician until ten hours after his arrest. He was ultimately admitted to Foch hospital, where he underwent surgery. On 20 October 1997, the Egyptian ambassador in Paris reportedly wrote to the French Minister of the Interior to demand an investigation, but the investigation ordered on 22 October 1997 was solely administrative. 448. Djamel Bouchareb was reportedly mistreated by police officers at Fontainebleau, in the Paris environs, in December 1997 at the time of the death of his friend, Abdelkader Bouziane, who was allegedly killed by police officers while trying to break through a roadblock. Djamel Bouchareb was reportedly in the same vehicle. He was allegedly beaten and kicked and his head slammed on the ground. He is said to have been taken to hospital by a physician who was present at the scene. A judicial investigation has allegedly been ordered. According to information received recently, the police officer accused of using excessive force against Mr. Bouchareb is about to be tried in correctional court. 449. Claude Serre, an elderly cartoonist, is said to have been severely berated by a police officer over a parking matter when he was lunching in a Paris restaurant in March 1998. He was reportedly handcuffed and taken away in a van, where he was subjected to ill-treatment. A medical report allegedly confirmed his statements and indicated a number of contusions. He has reportedly filed a complaint with the Bobigny court. 450. Tarek Säid, an Egyptian restaurateur in Bagneux, was reportedly mistreated in Paris in October 1998 by police officers to whom he had appealed for assistance following an altercation with transportation officials. He was allegedly taken to the police station on rue Marcadet, where he was beaten and kicked, choked, began to spit blood and lost consciousness. He was then reportedly taken to Hôtel-Dieu hospital before being brought back to his cell. According to a medical certificate, he had a broken thumb, injuries to the left eye and right arm requiring surgical intervention and a ruptured eardrum. An investigation has reportedly been instituted. Follow-up to previously transmitted communications 451. By letter dated 8 January 1999, the Government responded to the complaint transmitted by the Special Rapporteur on 8 August 1996 concerning clashes between security forces and trade unionists at Faa'a airport in Tahiti in September 1995 (see E/CN.4/1997/7/Add.1, paras. 157 and 158). The Government