What we know about the detention of journalist Ariane Lavrilleux

On Tuesday 19 September 2023, around 6 am, police officers from the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI), accompanied by an investigating judge, searched the personal home of French journalist Ariane Lavrilleux and placed her in custody. In a press release published on X (formerly Twitter), Disclose, the investigative media for which she works, denounced “ a new unacceptable attack on the secrecy of sources “.

Who is journalist Ariane Lavrilleux?

Investigative journalist, Ariane Lavrilleux is also general secretary of the Prenons la une collective, which works for fair representation of women and equality in newsrooms.

For Disclosedco-signed a long investigation in which the complicity of the French state in a “campaign of arbitrary executions orchestrated by the Egyptian dictatorship of Marshal Al-Sissi”based on hundreds of “confidential-defensive” documents, as recalled in the press release.

As summarized Publication :

Disclosed claimed that the French Sirli intelligence mission, which began in February 2016 to benefit Egypt in the name of fighting terrorism, had been hijacked by Cairo which used the information gathered to carry out airstrikes on vehicles of suspected traffickers, on Egypt -Libyan border. According to documents obtained by the media, “French forces were reportedly involved in at least 19 attacks against civilians between 2016 and 2018” in this area.

Following the publication of the investigation, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces filed a complaint “violation of national defense secrecy”.

Why was journalist Ariane Lavrilleux placed in police custody?

The journalist was taken into custody by the police.” as part of an investigation into compromise of national defense secrets and disclosure of information that could lead to the identification of a protected agent, opened in July 2022 » specifies the press release.

A source close to the matter confirmed this AFP that an investigating judge had conducted these operations, “given his status as a journalist”. For Disclosed, it concerns above all the intervention of the DGSI “new episode of unacceptable intimidation towards” of its journalists whose purpose From“identify [les] sources who revealed the Sirli military operation in Egypt “.

As told Publication“ This is not the first time that the DGSI has attacked journalists. In 2019, after revelations about the use of French weapons in Yemen, then in November 2021, already concerning arbitrary executions in Egypt, other Disclose journalists were summoned by the DGSI “.

Many media and collectives supported the journalist, denouncing an attack on freedom of information a few weeks before the States General of Information promised by the Elysée.