The leader of La France insoumise Jean-Luc Mélenchon was sentenced Friday, September 24 by the Paris Criminal Court for public defamation against a former journalist from Le Monde he had qualified in 2016 as "
assassin repented
”.
Read alsoMélenchon will be tried for public defamation of a former journalist from Le Monde
Then presidential candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon had attacked the newspaper
Le Monde
in a post on his blog, “
The era of the people
”, in November 2016. There was qualified the journalist Paulo Paranagua, specialist of the Latin America, of a "
repentant assassin
".
4500 euros to pay
"
The permissible limits of freedom of expression are exceeded,
" said the judgment.
The journalist, now retired, had filed a defamation complaint in February 2017, but Mélenchon did not appear before the judge for a first appearance questioning until July 2019.
Read alsoBefore the presidential election, Mélenchon wants to be reconciled with journalists
"
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is willingly giver of lessons, in reality abuses freedom of expression and will have tried unsuccessfully to escape justice,
" said Paulo Paranagua's lawyer in a statement.
Sentenced to a suspended fine of 500 euros, Jean-Luc Mélenchon will have to pay 1000 euros to the journalist as damages, as well as a procedural indemnity of 3500 euros.
Paulo Paranagua had also attacked Mélenchon for the absence at the time of legal notices on the site melenchon.fr, arguing that this had prevented him from suing the leader of rebellious France for civil defamation.
On July 10, 2019, the deputy was ordered in the context of this procedure to pay a symbolic euro in damages as well as 2,000 euros for legal costs in Paranagua.
