Kick executives face arrest warrant request in French probe into streamer’s death

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Okay, so things are getting serious with Kick. Apparently, French authorities are trying to arrest some of the people in charge after that streamer, Jean Pormanove, tragically passed away during a livestream back in August of last year. It’s a really sad situation, and now it’s turning into a legal battle.

Raphaël Graven, known online as Pormanove, tragically died in his sleep while live streaming on Kick on August 18th. French news reports stated he had endured “ten days of torture” that was publicly broadcast to over 200,000 viewers.

Pormanove suffered severe abuse, including brutal physical attacks, being forced to stay awake for extended periods, and being made to ingest poisonous substances. He was also subjected to psychological torment and public humiliation during streams on Kick.

Two streamers, Owen ‘Naruto’ Cenazendotti and Safine Hamadi, are facing criminal charges connected to the death of Pormanove. They frequently appeared on Pormanove’s streams and are accused of contributing to his abuse. The charges against them include assault, inciting hatred, exploiting a vulnerable person, and sharing violent content online.

France expands streamer death probe to Kick execs

French investigators are expanding their inquiry beyond France. On January 27, 2026, they asked for arrest warrants for Kick’s leaders in Australia, after those leaders didn’t comply with earlier requests to provide information about the situation.

They wanted to ask the executives what they had noticed about the situation and what steps Kick might have taken to follow the rules after Pormanove’s death.

In addition, prosecutors suspect that the leaders of Kick may have provided financial support to the creators of the Kick channel, Cenazendotti and Hamadi. They are currently reviewing the company’s finances as part of their investigation.

Investigators have found unusual financial activity, suggesting the channel may have been directly funded by Kick and its leaders, according to reports in French media.

According to a report from the Huffington Post’s French edition, Kick released a statement on January 28th stating they haven’t been officially notified to appear in court and refuted allegations that they paid the streamers in question.

Kick stated that neither the company nor anyone connected to it has received any legal notices or charges. They also confirmed they’ve never directly paid the streamers in question for particular videos or streams.

France initially tried to completely ban Kick, but officials rejected the ban, deciding it was too harsh for the issue at hand.

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2026-01-29 01:19