The Vice-President of the Paris Court of Judicial Court returned to its previous decision of November 18, in which it prohibited the investigation site from publishing new information on the mayor of Saint-Etienne.
By Brice Laemle
Mediapart was finally able to publish, Wednesday, November 30, his latest revelations on the political practices of the mayor of Saint-Etienne, Gaël Perdriau. The vice-president of the Paris court, Violette Baty, returned to her first decision on Friday, November 18, in which she prohibited new information from an audio registration dating from 2017. The director of the publication, Edwy Plenel, had then denounced a “prior censorship”, pointing in particular that Mediapart had not been entitled to the contradictory. Heard in summary proceedings on Friday, November 25, he came to ask “to end an unprecedented attack on press freedom as soon as possible”.
A wish largely granted by M Me Baty, who this time decided on Wednesday, November 30, in favor of the investigation site, condemning the mayor of Saint-Etienne to pay 9 000 euros. In her ordinance, the judge recognizes between the lines having been manipulated by the lawyer of Mr. Perdriau, M e Christophe Ungrain, notably evoking “the retention of elements” by the latter and ” The lack of information of the judge of requests on the state of the discussion in progress with the journalist “.
“The use of the request resulting in exorbitant judicial treatment, derogating from an immediate contradictory debate, must not be unscrewed from its object and serve to institute a priori control of any publication,” warns the magistrate. Contacted, the criticized lawyer did not respond to the requests of the world.
If Fabrice Arfi, the co -responsible for the Mediapart investigation center, is delighted with this judicial victory, the journalist now hopes that this “historic censorship” allows parliamentary reflection. “This sheds light on the need for legislative change to put an end to the conflict between this civil procedure which exists and what are the requirements of the freedom to inform in our Republic,” he said.
“The press is attacked from all sides”
Reacting to the procedure targeting Mediapart, centrist senator Nathalie Goulet tabled, Monday, November 21, a bill to complete the law of July 29, 1881 on press freedom, ensuring that a publication cannot “be” being prohibited that in application of a judicial decision made contradictorily “.
In the meantime, many unions in the profession are concerned about the multiplication of “gap procedures” with regard to journalists. “The press is attacked from all sides, alerts Dominique Pradalié, president of the International Federation of Journalists (FIJ), because more and more companies divert the law to weaken the freedom to inform.” The representative of the FIJ was precisely present Alongside the Reflets.info information site, whose appeal hearing was also held on Wednesday November 30 in front of the 14 e Chamber of the Versailles Court of Appeal.
You have 26.22% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.