French Streamers Convicted in Case Related to Kick Livestream Death

Two men in France were convicted on Wednesday of aggravated violence in a case that followed the death of Raphaël Graven, an internet personality. Mr. Graven died last year during a live broadcast on the platform Kick, where fellow live streamers routinely subjected him to humiliation and abuse.

The men were not accused of causing Mr. Graven’s death, but they controlled the channel whose stream he was present on when he died. The case provoked an intense debate in France about the government’s role in regulating parts of the internet where harassment and violence can go unchecked.

In a criminal court in Nice, the two men, Owen Cenazandotti and Safine Hamadi, both in their 20s, were also convicted of incitement to hatred and violence online, according to a statement on Thursday from Maud Marty, a public prosecutor.

Mr. Cenazandotti, who streams using the name Naruto, received a 12-month suspended prison term and a fine of 15,000 euros (around $17,000), according to his lawyer, Fabien Carles. Mr. Hamadi received an 18-month suspended prison term and a fine of 5,000 euros (roughly $5,800), Mr. Carles said.

The court also banned both men from posting on Kick for six months, Mr. Carles said.

Mr. Carles assailed the conviction of his client, calling the sentences “disproportionate.” He said Mr. Graven had not been abused by the two men and that his death was not linked to the behavior on the channel.

“The reality is far less sensational,” he wrote in an email. “These were young friends who received money in exchange for challenges — not all of which were in good taste — but which didn’t lead to Mr. Graven’s death.”