French journalist raided and arrested for revealing country's role in killings of Egyptian smugglers

Many are viewing this as an attack on investigative journalism and freedom of the press, and argue that the public has the "right to know".

A French journalist has been detained for reporting on leaked documents that claimed French intelligence was used to target civilians in Egypt, sparking accusations of an "unacceptable" attack on press freedom.

Journalist Ariane Lavrilleux was arrested for questioning, and her home searched, by agents of the DGSI, France's domestic intelligence agency.

The investigative news website Disclose published a series of articles in November 2021, supposedly based on hundreds of secret documents, that they said showed how information from a French counter-intelligence operation in Egypt was used by the Egyptian state for "a campaign of arbitrary killings" against smugglers operating along the Libyan border.
The articles said French forces were complicit in at least 19 bombings against smugglers between 2016 and 2018 in the region.
The documents showed there were warnings from officials within the French government, but the operation was not called into question.

France's Ministry of the Armed Forces filed a complaint for "violation of national defence secrecy" following the publication of the article, and a case was opened in July 2022 by the Paris prosecutor's office that was then placed in the hands of the DGSI.

The news site has denounced as an "unacceptable attack on the secrecy of sources", a view backed by the Society of Journalists and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
"I am appalled and worried about the escalation in attacks on the freedom to inform, and the coercive measures taken against the Disclose journalist," said Virginie Marquet, a lawyer for Lavrilleux and Disclose. "This search risks seriously undermining the confidentiality of journalists' sources," she said, adding that Lavrilleux had "only revealed information in the public interest".

French journalist arrested for reporting on Egypt spy operation, France24.com, August 9, 2023

 

Its nice to see the odd jounalist that still has an interest in exposing bad government. Seems like they mostly just cover for it these days.