2 Dec 2008

Outcry over arrest of French journalist

French politicians and newspapers reacted with shock and consternation yesterday to the brutal pre-dawn arrest of a senior newspaper executive over a relatively trivial libel case.

Vittorio de Filippis, former publisher of the centre-left newspaper, Libération, was insulted and handcuffed in front of his children by police who raided his home near Paris at 6.30am. He was later strip-searched twice. One of the officers called M. de Filippis "worse than scum", using the word, racaille, once used by President Nicolas Sarkozy to describe multi-racial youth gangs.

Vittorio de FilippisM. de Filippis, now in charge of the development of the paper, was wanted for questioning on a relatively trivial and technical accusation of defamation for a comment left by a reader on the newspaper's website two years ago. It is thought to be unprecedented for a senior newspaper executive, or any journalist, to be arrested in such a brutal way, The incident caused a similar sort of furore in France over the weekend as the uproar in Britain over the arrest of the Conservative immigration spokesman, Damian Green, by police investigating government leaks.

The Independent - Libération

More on Reporters Without Borders: Reporters Without Borders today protested at the “unacceptable and humiliating” treatment of journalist Vittorio de Filippis, managing editor of the daily Libération from May to December 2006, who was arrested at his home in the early morning, detained and subjected to body searches before being taken before a Paris judge.