French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff killed in Ukraine
New York, May 30, 2022 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply saddened by the death of French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff while covering the war in Ukraine, CPJ Executive Director Robert Mahoney said Monday. Leclerc-Imhoff, a reporter for French broadcast BFMTV, was reported killed on Monday, May 30, after an armored evacuation vehicle came under “enemy…
French police question journalist Thomas Dietrich over complaint by Chad official
On September 9, 2021, judicial police in Puteaux, a Paris suburb, questioned Thomas Dietrich, a reporter for the news website Le Média, about his recent encounter with a government official from the central African country of Chad, according to a statement by the local journalists’ union SNJ-CGT, a report by Le Média, and Dietrich, who…
French broadcaster director Jean-Jacques Basier threatened over decision to pull Joan of Arc documentary
Berlin, May 19, 2021 — French authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate threats made to Jean-Jacques Basier and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since April 30, anonymous people have made phone calls, sent letters, and left online comments containing threats to Basier, the Centre-Val de Loire regional director of the…
French journalist Nadiya Lazzouni receives letter with death threat, anti-Muslim slurs
Berlin, April 15, 2021 — French authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate a threatening letter received by journalist Nadiya Lazzouni and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 8, Lazzouni, a Paris-based video producer and founder of the news and commentary outlet Speak Up Channel, received an anonymous handwritten letter…
Exiled Azerbaijani blogger Mahammad Mirzali stabbed at least 16 times in knife attack in France
New York, March 16, 2021 – French authorities should thoroughly investigate the brutal knife attack on exiled Azerbaijani video blogger Mahammad Mirzali, find the perpetrators, and ensure that they are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On March 14, Mirzali, who runs the Made in Azerbaijan YouTube video blog, was walking in downtown Nantes, the city in…
As police investigate fresh attack amid Charlie Hebdo trial, French media unify around free expression
The knifings of two employees of a French TV production company outside the former Charlie Hebdo office on Friday, which occurred as a high-profile trial on the 2015 attacks on the newspaper was underway, was a stark reminder that threats to journalists have not disappeared in the five years since the deadly assault. The megatrial had started on September…
CPJ condemns knife attack near former Charlie Hebdo office in Paris
Berlin, September 25, 2020 – At least two people were injured in Paris today in a knife attack near the former offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, amid the ongoing trial of the suspected facilitators of the 2015 attack on the paper that killed 12 people—including eight journalists—according to media reports. “CPJ is deeply…
In an era of global protest, France and Israel stand out for use of dangerous ammunition
With the world gripped in a historic wave of unrest, journalists in no fewer than 65 countries – about a third of the world – have been attacked covering protests since 2015, according to a report I authored for a U.N. agency that was published today. One thing that stood out during my research for the report Safety…
French TV crew assaulted by armed gang members
Berlin, June 16, 2020–French authorities must immediately and thoroughly investigate the assault of three journalists by members of an armed gang and bring those responsible for the attack to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On June 15, a group of armed men assaulted three members of a news team working for public…
French police detain, assault reporter Taha Bouhafs during protest
On June 11, 2019, police officers arrested Taha Bouhafs, a reporter at French news website Là-bas Si J’y Suis, allegedly assaulted him during the arrest, confiscated his mobile phone, and detained him for 24 hours, according to reports by his employer and local news outlets.