The French government has launched an investigation into the death of online personality Raphaël Graven, known as “Jean Pormanove”, who died in his sleep aged 46.
The streamer had been livestreaming on the platform Kick prior to his death according to French media reports.
France’s digital affairs and artificial intelligence (AI) minister Clara Chappaz wrote in a post on X on Tuesday Pormanove had been “humiliated” and “mistreated” during streams on the platform for months, and said an inquiry into his death was underway.
A Kick spokesperson said the company was “urgently reviewing” circumstances around the streamer’s death and working with stakeholders to investigate it.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Jean Pormanove and extend our condolences to his family, friends and community,” they told the BBC.
The spokesperson said the platform’s community guidelines were “designed to protect creators” and said Kick is “committed to upholding these standards across our platform”.
Mr Graven had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers across his various social media accounts.
Reports say he was found dead on Monday at his home in Contes, near Nice.
Posts on social media and local reports claim that prior to his death, Mr Graven was subjected to sleep deprivation and bouts of physical violence during lengthy streams on Kick.
Ms Chappaz called his death and experience of violence “an absolute horror”.
In addition to a judicial investigation, Ms Chappaz said she had referred the issue to Arcom, the French media regulator, and Pharos, a French system used to report online content.
Owen Cenazandotti, a fellow French streamer who appeared alongside Mr Graven in his recent streaming marathon, has asked followers not to share videos of his “last breath” in a post on Instagram.
Source: BBC
