“In a country like France it is worrying to see that a journalist like MMyself Say it [fait] subject for years of such frequent episodes of defamation, legal proceedings or intimidation”. These words are those of Maria LawlorUnited Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.
Asked by Mediapartthis woman, accustomed to taking up the pen to defend personalities attacked by non-democratic regimes, was worried about the treatment reserved for the anti-racist journalist, essayist and director Rokhaya Diallo.
A “deep concern”
In a press release published on Thursday 1 February and co-signed by numerous other UN experts, he expressed what he said “deep concern about the legal proceedings, [à] Surveillance, [aux] intimidation and defamation reported against MrMyself Diallo ».
And for good reason, Rokhaya Diallo is (very) often the target of cyberharassment campaigns by right-wingers, far-rightists and personalities from so-called “secular” movements.
Why several legal actions have been taken against Rokhaya Diallo, such as, among others, a defamation complaint launched by the philosopher Raphael Enthovenwhich Rokahya Diallo had described on X (formerly Twitter) as “stalker”the media man himself mentioned it 478 times on the social network between 2017 and 2022. Rokhaya Diallo was also released.
Already a first letter sent to the government
According to experts, the attacks against Rokhaya Diallo are directly linked to the causes she defends, in particular denouncing systemic racism and Islamophobia in France. They report: “She is one of the few visible black and Muslim French women and the only journalist who addresses race and gender on a mainstream level (…) Because of her work, she faced discrimination and threats to her safety »they continue.
This is not the first time Mary Lawlor and UN experts have warned of Diallo’s fate. Already on 25 September 2023 they sent a five-page letter to the permanent mission of France at the UN, hoping “to attract” his “Attention” ON “various forms of harassment and defamation against” by Rokhaya Diallo.
To which the government replied that this was it “Very different facts and circumstances”with “a significant number of legal proceedings” on which he cannot comment, “according to the principle of separation of powers”.
A “relief” for Rokhaya Diallo
For his part, Rokhaya Diallo spoke Mediapart his “relief” be supported through this press release, after years of “systematic disqualification, recurring attempts at intimidation and obstruction [s]spoke, which also take place in a certain indifference ».
“I feel like I have two livescontinues. Abroad, where I work a lot, I am considered an expert in France. In France, it is rare for me to express myself without contradiction. As if there was always a precaution, a distance to carry with me.”He complained.
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Source: Madmoizelle

Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.