French Journalist Ariane Lavrilleux Facing Legal Challenge Over Exposé of Operation Sirli

Ariane Lavrilleux, a French investigative reporter with Disclose, is scheduled to appear before a Paris court on January 17, 2025, in connection with her groundbreaking 2021 exposé on “Operation Sirli”—a clandestine French military mission in Egypt. She faces charges of “appropriation and disclosure of a national defence secret,” punishable by up to five years in prison and a €75,000 fine.

The investigation stems from her November 2021 report connecting French military intelligence to alleged extrajudicial killings of hundreds of Egyptian civilians, detailed through documents marked “confidentiel défense” sourced from the Élysée, Ministry of Armed Forces, and military intelligence. Following the report, the French Ministry of Defence filed a complaint; in September 2023, Lavrilleux was arrested, held for 39 hours, and her residence in Marseille was searched by the domestic intelligence agency (DGSI).

Disclose has revealed that the DGSI subjected her to intensive surveillance: physical monitoring, real-time phone geolocation, bank account scrutiny, tracking of train ticket purchases, social media scanning, and monitoring of Disclose’s Paris offices. Four Disclose journalists have reportedly faced harassment since the outlet’s founding in 2018.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Women in Press Freedom, and over 110 other organizations have strongly condemned the summons and prosecution. They argue the charges pose a serious threat to press freedom and the integrity of journalistic source protection in France. RSF and its partners have demanded full respect for the democratic principle safeguarding journalists’ sources.

Lavrilleux’s case is viewed as part of a larger pattern of judicial pressure on investigative reporters in France, frequently under the guise of national security. Legal analysts have raised alarms that such prosecution undermines the protective framework established by France’s 2010 law on protecting journalistic sources. Women’s Press Freedom has called for her immediate acquittal, emphasizing that this legal action appears intended to intimidate and silence independent journalism.

Lavrilleux is an award‑winning investigative journalist, known for her tracking of corruption, arms transfers, and human rights abuses in the Middle East. Her prosecution risks setting a dangerous precedent, where revealing public‑interest information can lead to criminal penalties. As the January hearing draws near, the global journalism community is watching closely, fearing that the outcome could redefine the boundaries of investigative reporting in France.