Quebec’s independent police watchdog is investigating allegations that a Senegalese diplomat was detained and beaten by police last week in Gatineau, Quebec, across the river from Ottawa.
Guy Lapointe of the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes said the watchdog began its investigation by requesting copies of reports made after the incident.
A diplomat working at the West African country’s embassy in Ottawa had to be hospitalized after being handcuffed and beaten by police at his home in Gatineau on August 2, the Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Gatineau police said they had arrested a woman who punched a police officer in the face, adding that she bit another officer before being slammed to the ground.
On Saturday, Quebec Public Safety Minister Geneviève Guirbeau asked the watchdog to investigate and said there were questions surrounding the incident.
Lapointe said Watchdog has not released a news release containing preliminary information about the facts of the case as it normally does because Gatineau police have already released a version of the case.
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