A streamer who was allegedly tortured sent out heartbreaking final messages before he died on camera.
Raphaël Graven was better known online as Jeanpormanove and was a prominent figure in the French streaming scene.
The 46-year-old had over a million followers across his various social media platforms and had built up quite the community on live-streaming platform Kick.
One of his co-creators, Naruto, announced the French streamer’s death on Instagram as he paid tribute to his ‘brother, sidekick, partner’. Naruto asked people to ‘respect’ Jeanpormanove and to not republish any clips from the stream that showed him dead or unconscious.
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However, there are claims in local media he had repeatedly been subjected to humiliation during streams with an alleged ‘ten days and nights of torture’.
It is alleged that before his death, Jeanpormanove had suffered ‘extreme’ violence with his content including so called ‘humiliation streams’.
Previous streams allegedly saw him slapped, spat on and grabbed by the throat, with objects thrown at him.
He was found dead overnight on Monday morning (18 August) at his home in Contes, a village north of Nice. He is said to have passed away in his sleep during a live broadcast.
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He was tragically found dead in bed after 'ten days of torture, sleep deprivation and ingestion of toxic products'.
The prosecutor’s office confirmed it had opened an investigation into the man’s cause of death and ordered an autopsy.
They told La Parisien: "At this stage, there is nothing suspicious, interviews are underway, and an autopsy will be performed."
It is reported that a few days before his death, Jeanpormanove heartbreakingly sent a message to his mum to say he felt like he was ‘being held hostage’ and he was ‘fed up’ with the controversial streams.
A judicial investigation is now under way as France’s minister for digital affairs and artificial intelligence, Clara Chappaz, described the streamer’s death and violence he went through as an ‘absolute horror’.
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She called the ordeal ‘humiliation’ and ‘mistreatment’ and Sarah El Haïry, France's High Commissioner for Children, described the death as ‘horrifying’.
"Platforms have an immense responsibility in regulating online content so that our children are not exposed to violent content. I call on parents to be extremely vigilant," she wrote on X.
Chappaz added that she had referred the issue to French media regulator and Pharos, the French system used for reporting online content.
It is alleged that Owen Cenazandotti ('Naruto') and Safine Hamadi ('Safine') were involved in the humiliation streams, as well as similar content involving a man nicknamed Coudoux.
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The pair were taken into police custody in January, but they were soon released as a Nice prosecutor said: "Both the people likely to be implicated and those who were victims denied the commission of offences."
Naruto's lawyer Yassin Sadouni said to Le Monde regarding Jeanpormanove's death: "We are awaiting the results of the investigation aimed at determining all the conditions of 'JP's' death and identifying the responsibilities of each person."
He added to AFP: "My client bears no responsibility for this death."
A Kick spokesperson told AFP: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Jean Pormanove. We are urgently reviewing the circumstances and collaborating with relevant stakeholders. Kick's community guidelines are designed to protect creators, and we are committed to enforcing them across our platform."
LADbible has contacted Kick, Naruto and Safine for comment.
Topics: Gaming
Jess Battison