French policemen face trial over teen deaths that sparked riots in 2005
Top court reinstates case over 2005 incident that sparked worst unrest in France in 40 years
Two police officers could soon face trial over the deaths of two teenagers from a high-rise estate who were electrocuted in 2005, sparking the worst rioting in France for 40 years.
After seven years of legal wrangling, and lobbying by the boys' families, France's highest court on Wednesday overturned a previous ruling saying the case against the police officers should be dropped.
The path is now open for what could be one of the most important police trials in recent years, a landmark moment in the tense relationship between youths on poor estates and France's security services.
For seven years, the faces of Zyed Benna, 17, and Bouna Traore, 15, have continued to symbolise the dire relations and extreme mistrust between police and youths living in France's tower blocks.
The two teenagers were electrocuted while hiding in a power substation in Clichy-sous-Bois, north of Paris, in October 2005. Another 17-year-old survived with severe burns.
The boys had been returning from a football match with a group of friends, rushing to get home for the evening meal during Ramadan.