The acceleration of the number of cases shows that, two years after the publication of the Duclert report on the role of France in Rwanda from 1990 to 1994, the debate remains lively before the courts.
by Pierre Lepidi
Accused of “public insult” by Aloys Ntiwiragabo, Rwandan military intelligence leader during the Tutsi genocide in 1994, journalist Maria Malagardis was released by the Paris court on Wednesday, March 15. In a tweet, the Liberation reporter had arrested the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the Ministry of Justice after a mediapart investigation in which Aloys Ntiwiragabo had been located in the suburbs of Orleans.
“An African Nazi in France? Will anyone react?”, Had then tweeted Maria Malagardis, on July 24, 2020. In his judgment, which the world was able Chamber of the Correctional Court believes that the tweet “participates (…) of a debate of major general interest relating to the crimes committed during the genocide of the Tutsi and the judgment of their authors”.
“This message to arrest aim was published by a journalist specializing in the issue, continues the Chamber, and his reaction is part of his commitment and his positions in the public debate about the Pursuit of genocidaires. “The Court also considers that” despite its important insulting load, it must be considered that this remarks have not exceeded the eligible limits of freedom of expression “.
Journalists “not specifically” targeted
This decision follows a hearing held two days earlier, for more than seven hours, still in the Press Chamber. Monday, March 13, journalists Benoît Collombat, of the Radio France investigation cell, and Laurent Larcher, specialist in Africa in the newspaper La Croix and author of the Rwanda book, they speak (Seuil, 2019), were prosecuted for complicity in defamation .
Guillaume Victor-Thomas, former employee of the Société Épaux, reproach them for disseminating the testimony of a humanitarian saying that he had attended, at Goma Airport (Zaïre) in August 1994, with deliveries of arms carried out by him. The judgment will be rendered on May 23, almost a month after a new trial.
On April 20 and 21, in fact, Annie Faure, doctor within the NGO Doctors of the World during the genocide, will appear after a complaint by Hubert Védrine, also the author of a certificate in favor of Guillaume Victor- Thomas. In April 2019, on France Inter, she pointed out the responsibility of the former secretary general of the Elysée in the Rwandan tragedy. “It was he who accepted or closed his eyes to the delivery of weapons and the protection of genocidaires,” she said.
You have 47.48% of this article to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.