French senior civil servant and politician who has served as France’s minister of the interior since October 2025. His previous posts include prefect of police of Paris, national coordinator for intelligence and counterterrorism, and director general for internal security.
Case
France’s National Assembly approved a rebuttable presumption that police and gendarmes who fire their weapons acted within the law. The government calls it procedural protection; rights bodies warn about investigations and accountability.
Role at the time: French minister of the interior
Response to this claim
The bill creates a simple, rebuttable presumption and does not prevent judicial investigations or prosecutors from treating an officer as a suspect when the statutory firearm-use conditions appear not to have been met.
“Cette proposition de loi ne prévoit qu’une présomption simple – c’est écrit noir sur blanc –, qui peut être levée à tout moment. J’ai entendu dire tout à l’heure qu’il faudrait attendre le jugement. Ce n’est pas le cas : n’importe quel procureur pourra placer en garde à vue un policier ou un gendarme s’il considère que l’usage de l’arme n’a pas été fait dans le cadre prévu par l’article 435-1 du code de la sécurité intérieure.”
Relative to the case-level reference point—the proposed statutory presumption favoring lawful firearm use—Nuñez expressly supports the bill and argues that the measure is limited and compatible with prosecutorial oversight. That is a defense of the policy, not merely a challenge to an opponent’s terminology.
Statement dates: July 7, 2026
Statement dates: July 7, 2026
