French streamer Raphaël Graven, known online as Jean Pormanove, died on August 18, 2025, at age 46 during a marathon livestream on Kick.
The broadcast, described by French media as involving “ten days of torture,” featured alleged physical abuse, forced substance ingestion, and severe sleep deprivation by co-streamers Owen “Naruto” Cenazendotti and Safine Hamadi.
An autopsy ruled that his death was not caused by trauma or third-party intervention, with probable medical or toxicological factors. The involved streamers claimed the content was consensual and staged, and Pormanove’s mother defended them as “great people” who rarely mistreated him.
Government Push for Action
France’s Minister for Digital Affairs and AI, Clara Chappaz, condemned the streams as “humiliation” and “mistreatment,” prompting legal action against Kick. Prosecutors argued the platform created a “no-go zone” online and sought removal of related channels.
At a November 26, 2025, hearing, the state requested a six-month nationwide block of Kick in France under Article 6-3 of the Law for Trust in the Digital Economy, which enables rapid intervention against harmful content.
Court Ruling
On December 19, 2025 (with the decision reported December 22), the Paris court rejected the nationwide ban, deeming it disproportionate. Prosecutors had acknowledged that a full block might be excessive, favoring targeted content removals instead.
Ongoing Investigations
Kick and its executives face separate criminal probes in Paris and Nice, potentially leading to up to seven years in prison and €500,000 fines under Article 323-3-2 of the Criminal Code.
French authorities are also investigating Pormanove’s former group Lokal, which resurfaced on Twitch as OGK Decoy (hosted by Naruto’s brother Gwen Cenazendotti), for alleged continued staged violence and moderation evasion.
Kick previously banned the involved streamers, removed related content, and reviewed its French-language moderation following the incident.
