Amirshahi calls the police firearm presumption a sabotage of the rule of law
Pouria AmirshahiFrench National Assembly deputy, Ecologist and Social group
Amirshahi calls the police firearm presumption a sabotage of the rule of law. He says it would legalize impunity and argues that democracy requires protection against abuses of authority.
“Ce texte, qui excuse voire justifie par avance l’intervention létale d’un fonctionnaire de police, est une proposition de sabotage en règle de notre État de droit et de ses principes.”
Original text
Other statements by Pouria Amirshahi in this case
- Amirshahi argues the proposed presumption would weaken police accountabilityEarlier: Condemned
- Pouria Amirshahi opposes France's firearm-use presumptionLater: Condemned
Where this statement fits
Should France presume police and gendarmes acted lawfully when using firearms?
A bill filed by French lawmaker Éric Pauget and rewritten by the government would create a rebuttable presumption that national police officers and gendarmes who use firearms acted within an authorized statutory circumstance and complied with requirements of absolute necessity and strict proportionality. The National Assembly adopted the text on July 7, 2026, and sent it to the Senate. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and police-union supporters say the measure would protect officers without ending judicial review; the Defender of Rights, a UN special rapporteur and human-rights groups argue that it could weaken investigations, victims’ remedies and accountability for lethal force.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
The January debate concerns the initial bill and a proposed government rewrite. The official transcript distinguishes the speakers and records the arguments before the later July passage.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Amirshahi says democracy includes institutions that protect citizens against abuses of authority.
After the quotation
He says the text would legalize police impunity and describes it as inspired by the far right.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case concerns a statutory presumption protecting police firearm use. Amirshahi opposes it as an erosion of accountability and public trust.
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More from this case
Read the full caseNuñez rejects the claim that the firearms bill creates a license to kill
“What we are creating is a simple presumption, which can be overturned very quickly, as the text provides. So stop saying everywhere that we have created a license to kill! (Translated from French. Original: Ce que nous créons est une simple présomption, qui peut être renversée très rapidement, ce que le texte prévoit. Arrêtez donc de dire partout que nous aurions créé un permis de tuer !)”Read statement
LDH says the police firearm presumption would obstruct investigations of shootings
Ligue des droits de l'Homme
“Yet establishing a presumption that shootings are lawful would amount to accepting from the outset that the use of the weapon was lawful, and therefore to slowing down, or even preventing, investigations, with the possible consequence that unjustified uses escape any sanction. As a result, victims would be deprived of any hope that the truth would come out, and all the current failings would be legitimized. (Translated from French. Original: Or l’instauration d’une présomption de légalité des tirs reviendrait à admettre d’emblée la conformité de l’usage de l’arme et donc de freiner, voire d’empêcher, la réalisation d’investigations, avec pour conséquence possible que des utilisations injustifiées échappent à toute sanction. Dès lors, les victimes seraient privées de toute espérance quant à la manifestation de la vérité et tous les dysfonctionnements actuels seraient légitimés.)”Read statement
Stéphane Peu opposes France's firearm-use presumption
“an inequality before the law (Translated from French. Original: une inégalité devant la loi)”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Amirshahi calls the police firearm presumption a sabotage of the rule of law". First published: 2026-10-31. Last updated: 2026-10-31. https://disputeindex.com/events/7482-amirshahi-calls-the-police-firearm-presumption-a-sabotage