INéDIT The media, which intended to broadcast new sound recordings concerning “the political practices” of the mayor of Saint-Etienne, denounces a “prior censorship” of justice
Gaël Perdriau the mayor of Saint-Etienne took legal action to ban the publication of new revelations from Mediapart. — OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP
- A Paris court order issued on Friday prohibits Mediapart from publishing new information taken from audio recordings of the mayor of Saint- Etienne.
- The media intended to denounce “the political practices” of Gaël Perdriau suspected of sextape blackmail.
- The elected official who seized the court invokes an “invasion of privacy”.
The court prohibited à Mediapartto publish new information taken from audio recordings of the mayor of Saint-Étienne Gaël Perdriau, suspected of to be involved in a case of blackmail at the sextape and for having thus wanted to put pressure on his former first deputy Gilles Artigues, filmed; to unwittingly in a hotel room, during an arranged meeting with an escort-boy.
“”This is prior censorship without prior notice. cedent,” this Monday the media at; the origin of the revelation of this affair. “It’s a very exceptional procedure, never seen in the field of the press,” said Edwy Plenel, the director of the publication.
On Friday, an order from the Paris court was issued. returned urgently to; the request of Gaël Perdriau. “Mediapart was not informed; of this procedure” and could not “defend his work and his rights,” Monday.
Achievement at; privacy
The ordinance prohibits the Mediapartto disseminate “new revelations on the political practices of the mayor of Saint-Étienne”, based in particular on the same audio recordings which made it possible to reveal the scandal, under penalty of exposing oneself to a fine of 10,000 euros “per extract published”. The court finds that this recording, which was realized by Gilles Artigues in the mayor’s office on November 27, 2017, is “unlawful”. The injunction concerns all “electronic media, paper or otherwise”, specifies the text.
According to Mediapart, the mayor of Saint-Etienne invoked “a violation of privacy” to block the publication of these new revelations. The journalist author of the investigation had previously requested it. to have its position on “new facts”. According to Edwy Plenel, these facts “call into question the practices of the mayor of Saint-&Éacute;tienne, in particular in the use of rumor as a political instrument, with Laurent Wauquiez, the LR president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, as his target.
“It’s the hospital that gives a damn about charity”
“It’s the hospital that doesn’t give a damn about charity. because Gaël Perdriau, who used; the violation of privacy to get rid of one of his political adversaries, invokes it today to prevent the publication of comments he himself made concerning a personality. of his political family”, reacts André; Buffard, the lawyer for Gilles Artigues, for whom the approach is “grotesque””.
“The publication he is trying to prevent is not not false information,” will provoke “very violent reactions from the political milieu” Mediapart lawyers“shall pursue all possible legal remedies to bring the matter to an early end; this censorship,” said Edwy Plenel.
As a reminder, the case started in August when the media published; the confessions of the former companion of a right-wing municipal deputy accusing himself of having trapped Gilles Artigues by having him filmed to blackmail him in a hotel room with an escort-boy. According to his confessions, this “barbouzerie” had been organized at the request of the mayor – who has always denied any involvement – and remunerated via fictitious services invoiced to cultural associations financed by the municipality.
The Lyon public prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial inquiry after a complaint for blackmail by Gilles Artigues. Various protagonists in the case, including the mayor, his deputy and his chief of staff were arrested. placed in custody seen and then released, phones and computers were found. entered for analysis. The very embarrassing recordings published by Mediapart were made by Gilles Artigues and have been added to the file, according to information from AFP.