France detains journalist for revealing ‘state secret’, slammed by rights groups
Journalist detained by France
A French journalist was detained on Tuesday (September 19) for allegedly accessing state secrets unlawfully in 2021. She was arrested by the DGSI, France's domestic intelligence agency; a move that drew condemnation from journalists and rights groups.
Non-profit newsroom Disclose denounced the move as an "unacceptable attack on the secrecy of sources," which was immediately backed by the Society of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). “We fear that the DGSI's actions will undermine the secrecy of the sources," RSF said.
What triggered the arrest?
In November 2021, investigative website Disclose released a series of articles based on a trove of confidential documents.
These documents revealed how information gathered from a covert French counter-intelligence operation in Egypt, code-named "Sirli," was used by the Egyptian government to carry out what was described as "a campaign of arbitrary killings" targeting smugglers operating along the Libyan border.
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According to the initial reports by Disclose, French forces were implicated in at least 19 bombings against smugglers in the region between 2016 and 2018. Despite warnings from officials within the French government, the operation itself remained unchallenged, as per Disclose's findings.
In response to the publication of these articles, France's Ministry of the Armed Forces lodged a complaint citing "violation of national defence secrecy." Subsequently, in July 2022, a case was initiated by the Paris prosecutor's office, which was later transferred to the DGSI.
Freedom of press under question in France
Virginie Marquet, a lawyer for Lavrilleux and Disclose, said that the actions against the French journalist undermine the confidentiality of the media sources.
"I am appalled and worried about the escalation in attacks on the freedom to inform, and the coercive measures taken against the Disclose journalist," she said.
"This search risks seriously undermining the confidentiality of journalists' sources," she said, adding that Lavrilleux had "only revealed information in the public interest".
France’s move to arrest the journalist is sure to attract more scrutiny into the declining freedom of press in the country, and prompt questions in French media over the country’s alleged role in and record on human rights in Egypt.
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