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February 09, 2026 – France –
A French magistrate has formally requested the declassification of previously restricted government documents related to the abduction and murder of two Radio France Internationale (RFI) journalists in northern Mali in 2013, in an effort to advance a long-stalled criminal investigation. The move underscores ongoing legal and public pressure in France to uncover fuller details of the case more than a decade after the deaths.
On 2 November 2013, RFI reporter Ghislaine Dupont, 57, and sound engineer Claude Verlon, 55, were kidnapped by armed men near Kidal as they were completing an interview and subsequently executed. The attack occurred amid conflict in northern Mali, where French and Malian forces were engaged with Islamist armed groups; authorities at the time attributed the killings to jihadist elements.
The judge presiding over the case has now asked that classified files, particularly those held by the French Ministry of Defence, be released into the court record. Advocates argue that these documents may contain key evidence or operational information that could clarify the sequence of events leading to the journalists’ deaths and potentially identify previously unknown aspects of the incident. Such files were not available to earlier stages of the judicial probe, and repeated appeals by family members and press freedom groups for greater transparency have spanned multiple governments.
Some materials from the original investigation were partially declassified in 2016 and handed to the investigating judge at that time, including telegrams, notes, photographs, and intelligence agency summaries. However, portions remained redacted due to military confidentiality concerns, leaving significant questions unanswered about how the abduction unfolded and whether there were failures in intelligence or protection protocols.
The request for declassification reflects sustained judicial and civil society efforts to ensure accountability for the killings, which have long been viewed as emblematic of the dangers faced by journalists reporting from conflict zones. Rights groups and press freedom advocates have called the case a test of France’s commitment to transparency and justice in the face of violence against media workers.
Investigators hope that fully declassified documents will allow for renewed questioning of potential witnesses and a more precise reconstruction of the circumstances of the abduction. Families of Dupont and Verlon have repeatedly pressed for deeper clarity about responsibility and motive, arguing that public access to all relevant government records is essential to establishing the full truth behind their loved ones’ deaths.
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