France

RSF’s investigation desk has uncovered a vast disinformation campaign led by French media conglomerate Vivendi that directly targets the press freedom organisation.

Human rights and sports organisations urge the International Olympic Committee to publicly call on sporting authorities in France to overturn all bans on athletes wearing the hijab in French sport.

“The fight against impunity for crimes committed by the Syrian regime and by all parties to this conflict continues.”

“Germany should immediately explain why it has denied Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah entry and imposed this far-reaching ban on a leading health professional to speak in Berlin, Paris, and The Hague about what he witnessed in Gaza” – HRW

A recent report shows that France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Sweden, and Finland want to legalise spying on journalists in the event of a threat to national security.

“As the humanitarian catastrophe continues to unfold in Gaza, and increasingly in the West Bank, there must be freedom to voice opinions and to protest everywhere” – ARTICLE19

At least seven journalists who had been sent to cover protests and riots in the Île-de-France region following the police killing of a teenager were attacked on 29 June.

“As during his last visit in 2019, Macron publicly ignored the deteriorating human rights situation in China under Xi. China’s ‘president for life’ has continued to tighten his dictatorial grip on the country, further stifling dissent with relentless repression coupled with pervasive surveillance.”

The journalist, Romain Molina, documented abuses against underage players in the Haiti football federation under Jean-Bart’s leadership and supported survivors in Haiti and worldwide.

Freelance French reporter Olivier Dubois, who was abducted in April 2021, holds the unenviable record of being one of France’s longest-held hostages.

Since the adoption of the pension reform on 16 March, several journalists covering protests have been victims of violence by riot police, or unjustified arrest and other arbitrary measures.

“French authorities should respect the rights of protesters. They should assess whether police tactics used are necessary and proportionate, investigate allegations of excessive use of force, and hold officers responsible for abuses to account” – HRW

“The threat these days doesn’t come just from repressive governments like those in Russia or Turkey. Nor it is even confined to democratic states on the road to authoritarianism like Hungary and Poland. It now also comes from elected governments in states whose democracies appear in better health, such as France, Greece, Italy, and the UK.”

“The judicial investigation launched by the ‘cyber’ section at the Paris prosecutor’s office on 1 July is the result of a series of complaints filed over the past year, above all by RSF which – together with 25 journalists from ten countries – filed a total of four complaints.”