On January 3, 2022, Yassin Mebarkia, detained at the Villefranche-sur-Saône prison, aged 30, died in the intensive care unit of the North West hospital in Villefranche-sur-Saône.
“He was hospitalized there on January 2, 2022 after being discovered unconscious in his cell by a nurse and prison supervisors,” recalls the prosecution in a statement sent on Friday.
An investigation to find the causes of open death
An investigation into the causes of death was opened the same day and entrusted to the Villefranche-sur-Saône police station.
Yassin Mebarkia had been assigned to the Villefranche penitentiary center on December 9, 2021, following his transfer from the Valence remand center. He was imprisoned in execution of two sentences, for the counts of contempt and threats of death or dangerous attack on the goods for the people against a depositary of the public authority and another of 12 months of imprisonment for acts of domestic violence. His sentence was scheduled to end on March 29, 2022.
Type 1 diabetes and “a treatment he managed alone”
However, “Yassin Mebarkia suffered from type 1 diabetes,” recalls the prosecution which specifies that he “had in cell, at his request, his insulin treatment that he managed alone. “
“It emerges from the autopsy carried out today that the findings are not incompatible with ketoacidosis decompensation of insulin-dependent diabetes, the precise origin of which will be determined by ongoing investigations,” concludes the prosecution.
The investigation is continuing and will lead to the opening of a judicial investigation at the beginning of next week to search for the causes of death. It will allow the detainee’s family to have access to the elements of the file as a civil party.