Two French video streamers were convicted on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, by the Nice criminal court in what is considered France’s first prosecution of trash streaming
according to Le Monde. The case centered on online violence and humiliation directed at associate Raphaël Graven, a 46-year-old streamer known online as Jean Pormanove, who died on-air during an August 2025 broadcast reported by Le Monde.
French Streamers Convicted in Landmark Trash Streaming Trial
Owen Cenazandotti, 27, known by the alias Naruto, received a two-year suspended prison sentence alongside a €15,000 fine according to Le Monde. Safine Hamadi, 24, known as Safine, was given an 18-month suspended sentence and a €5,000 fine according to Le Monde. Both men were subjected to a six-month digital ban prohibiting them from posting on social networks and online platforms reported by lopinion.fr.
Details of the Charges and Court Rulings
The tribunal found both defendants guilty of charges including acts of group violence and incitement to hatred according to lopinion.fr. The harassment targeted Graven as well as another adult, Stéphane Guy, also known as Coudoux according to lopinion.fr. The offenses took place during livestreams hosted on Twitch and later on Kick between 2023 and 2025 according to lopinion.fr.
However, the court acquitted the defendants of abusing Pormanove’s psychological frailty and of distributing violent images reported by lopinion.fr. Tom Michel, a lawyer representing Hamadi, stated that his client had told police prior to his death that Pormanove had consented to the stunts straitstimes.com. Michel noted that Hamadi expressed remorse during the trial, acknowledging that part of the content they aired was not acceptable and could not be consented to or scripted
straitstimes.com. In contrast, Cenazandotti remained convinced that the legal action was part of a media-judicial conspiracy against him reported by lopinion.fr.
Context Surrounding Graven’s Death
Although Graven died on August 18, 2025, while being filmed asleep on the streaming platform Kick according to Le Monde, the trial did not focus on manslaughter straitstimes.com. An autopsy revealed that his death was not directly linked to the online harassment, pointing instead to poor health and a fragile heart reported by lopinion.fr. Prosecutors noted that Pormanove had earned approximately €265,000 from his streams between 2021 and 2025 straitstimes.com.
During the proceedings, prosecutor Maud Marty described the broadcasts as a system of human abuse, not just a slip or provocation
and emphasized that violence is the content, it’s the storyline
reported by Le Monde. The investigation itself was launched in January 2025 following an investigative report by Mediapart detailing violent content produced by the streamers reported by Le Monde.
Broader Repercussions and Regulatory Scrutiny
The case prompted widespread public shock across France regarding the nature of fringe internet broadcasts straitstimes.com. Sarah El Hairy, France’s high commissioner for childhood, issued a statement following the verdict emphasizing that the buzz, the quête de visibilité ou la course à l’audience ne peuvent jamais devenir des excuses à la violence ou à la déshumanisation
reported by lopinion.fr.
Regulatory bodies, including France’s audiovisual and digital regulator Arcom alongside the Paris prosecutor’s office, initiated investigations into the Australia-based streaming platform Kick straitstimes.com. Kick announced prior to the trial that all co-streamers participating in the broadcast had been banned pending ongoing investigations reported by programme-tv.net, and legal proceedings involving the platform remain active straitstimes.com.
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