A British freelance photographer who was seriously injured by a stun grenade while covering a political protest will learn tomorrow whether he can claim compensation from police.
Guy Smallman’s six year fight for justice will end in a court case to be heard tomorrow in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
Smallman was injured while covering a protest outside the G8 Summit in Geneva in 2003.
He claims that his injury was caused by a police stun grenade and is seeking compensation from the State of Geneva.
If he loses, he faces a massive bill for legal costs, according to the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) which is supporting the photographer.
‘An original judgement found in favour of Mr Smallman, but the State of Geneva was successful with an appeal. Friday’s ruling will decide on whether that decision will be upheld,’ said the NUJ which has released a video of the incident.
‘In the video Guy is seen running from a group of police officers throwing the grenades – similar to those used by the SAS to storm buildings. One of the grenades explodes on his leg,’ added the union.
Commenting on the case, NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said: ‘A journalist was seriously injured by a stun grenade thrown by the police. Anyone who has seen footage of those events would find it hard to believe that the police were not responsible for his injuries. He has been fighting for years for justice and we must hope that this is what will be delivered on Friday.’
