FORMER Hibs star Stephane Omeonga has claimed he was arrested and beaten up by police – on CHRISTMAS DAY.
The Belgian midfielder had two loan spells at Easter Road, making 27 appearances.
Omeonga went on to play 57 Premiership games in two seasons for Livingston before joining Israeli club Bnei Sakhnin two summers ago.
He has now accused Italian cops of mistreating him after he attempted to fly to Tel Aviv last week, claiming he suffered “total humiliation.”
The 28-year-old posted a video on social media that appeared to show him being manhandled off a plane after an argument with police.
Liege-born Omeonga wrote on Instagram: “On December 25th, I was a victim of police brutality.
“During a flight between Rome and Tel Aviv, after boarding the plane and taking my seat, a steward approached me about an alleged issue with my documents and asked me to leave the aircraft.
“Confident in the validity of my documents, I calmly asked him what kind of issue.
“The police were called, and I was handcuffed and forcibly removed from the plane. Once outside the aircraft, away from the view of witnesses, the police violently threw me to the ground, beat me, and one of them pressed his knee against my head.
“I was then taken in a police vehicle, handcuffed like a criminal, to the airport. An ambulance arrived, but in a state of shock, I was unable to respond to the paramedics’ questions. Shortly after, I heard over the police car’s radio, ‘He refused medical care; everything is fine.’
“This was completely false, I asked them to take me in the ambulance with them scared to what the police could do to me.
“Next, I was placed in a grey room, without food or water, and left in a state of total humiliation for several hours. Upon my release, I learned that a police officer had filed a complaint against me for injuries allegedly caused during the arrest, even though I was handcuffed.
Furthermore, to this day, I have not received any justification for my arrest.
“As a human being and a father, I cannot tolerate any form of discrimination. This arrest is just the visible tip of the iceberg.
“Many people who look like me cannot find work, have no access to housing, or cannot participate in the sports they love, simply because they are Black.
“We must stand united and raise our voices to educate those around us—our colleagues, neighbours, and friends—about this issue that plagues our society and hinders its progress. Peace.”
Omeonga won eight Belgium Under-21 caps.
Of Congolese descent, in addition to Hibs and Livi he also played for Italian sides Genoa, Avellino and Pescara as well as Cercle Brugge in his homeland.
SunSport has approached the Italian National Police for comment.
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