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January 17, 2025 – France –
Paris’s anti‑terrorism judges decided not to indict Ariane Lavrilleux, an investigative journalist with Disclose, who had faced serious criminal charges tied to her reporting on French military operations in Egypt.
Lavrilleux played a key role in exposing “Operation Sirli,” a secret mission where, based on leaked classified documents, France allegedly assisted Egypt in carrying out hundreds of extrajudicial killings. The revelations triggered a national defense secrecy probe, accusing Lavrilleux of “appropriation and disclosure of a national defence secret”—an offense punishable by up to five years in prison and heavy fines.
Her ordeal began in September 2023, when agents from the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) conducted a raid on her Marseille apartment, seized her work equipment, and detained her for questioning. International press freedom groups, including the International Press Institute, condemned the action as intimidation and called for the immediate dismissal of charges.
For over a year, Lavrilleux endured a high-stakes legal battle, facing surveillance and pressure, but maintaining her refusal to reveal confidential sources, a principle strongly supported by media watchdogs. In turn, Women in Journalism and similar organizations celebrated the recent judicial decision, warning that the initial prosecution sent a troubling signal that investigative reporting might be treated as a crime.
The court’s ruling downgraded her status from a suspect to an “assisted witness,” effectively ending her criminal exposure in the case. While this marks a victory, it stops short of a full exoneration and leaves lingering fears among journalists covering sensitive subjects.
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