Police summon three journalists from Libération, who denounce an "inadmissible procedure"

Libération denounced Thursday the summons of three of its journalists, heard in free hearing by the judicial police of Lille after a series of articles on the death of a young Roubaix killed by a police officer, calling it an "inadmissible procedure". Speaking in a statement, the Society of Journalists and Staff (SJPL) and the management of Liberation saw "a new attempt at intimidation", in "the wake of the search and custody" of the journalist of the investigative site Disclose, Ariane Lavrilleux, who outrages the profession since Tuesday.

According to the newspaper, its reporters Ismaël Halissat, Fabien Leboucq and Antoine Schirer were summoned Thursday "to be heard as suspects under the regime of free hearing by the criminal brigade of the judicial police of Lille". In question, the "publication of a series of articles on the death of Amine Leknoun, killed by a police officer of the BAC, in Neuville-en-Ferrain (Nord)", the prosecutor's office having retained the grounds of offence of "violation of the secrecy of the investigation", "concealment of violation of the secrecy of the investigation" and "public defamation because of the function or quality of depositary of public authority".

The confidentiality of sources at the center of the case

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In their investigation, the journalists of Libération highlight the shortcomings of the IGPN (General Inspectorate of the National Police, the police of the police, editor's note) and the investigating judge in the conduct of investigations into the death of Amine Leknoun, "continue the SJPL and the management. Pointing to a "waste of police and judicial resources", they denounce a procedure "unworthy of a democratic country where freedom of the press must in no way be hindered".

The issue of the infringement of the confidentiality of sources and freedom of the press has agitated the sector since Tuesday and the custody of nearly 40 hours of Ariane Lavrilleux, as part of a judicial investigation into several offenses relating to the secrecy of national defense. Released on Wednesday evening, the journalist signed in 2021 an article in Disclose claiming that the French intelligence mission "Sirli", begun in February 2016 for the benefit of Egypt in the name of the fight against terrorism, had been hijacked by the Egyptian state, which used the information collected to carry out air strikes on vehicles of suspected smugglers. on the Egyptian-Libyan border. Requested, the judicial police of Lille had not reacted immediately.