France opens inquiry into 'violent' death of Kick streamer 'JP'
Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Authorities in France opened an investigation into the live-streamed death of French streamer "JP."
France-based streamer Raphael Graven, who went by the online alias "Jean Pormanove" or simply "JP," reportedly died Monday after being subjected to about 10 days of violence and sleep deprivation during a streaming.
According to French prosecutors, Graven died at a property near Nice in the village of Contes, miles from the Mediterranean Sea and the Principality of Monaco.
"Jean Pormanove was humiliated and mistreated for months live on the Kick platform," stated Clara Chappaz, France's digital affairs and artificial intelligence minister.
She added that a judicial investigation was underway.
"The death of Jean Pormanove and the violence he suffered are an absolute horror," Chappaz added.
Graven, 46, was a tall, slim man with glasses who had more than 1 million followers and was known for live-streaming his extreme challenges.
Unverified social media footage depicted multiple men beating and choking JP at one point, noticing he appeared lifeless on a mattress, at which point the live broadcast was quickly cut off.
Kick said officials were "urgently reviewing" the situation and its fatal circumstances.
Another French official called the violent death "horrifying."
"(Social media platforms) have an immense responsibility in regulating online content so that our children are not exposed to violent content," Sarah El Hairy, France's high commissioner for children, posted on X.
"I call on parents to be extremely vigilant," she continued.
A Kick spokesperson said the Twitch-like streaming platform was "deeply saddened" by the loss of Jeanpormanove and "extend our condolences to his family, friends and community."
"Kick's community guidelines are designed to protect creators, and we remain committed to upholding these standards across our platform," it said in a statement.
A co-creator, Naruto, paid tribute to his "brother, sidekick, partner" in an Instagram post and asked the public to "respect" his memory and not repost his violent end.
It follows a 2014 unrelated incident when a 25-year-old French man from near Paris killed a French policeman and his wife and claimed allegiance the the Islamic State in a live-streamed attack on Facebook.
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