France: convictions for the attack on journalist Christian Lantenois send a firm signal against impunity
Two men accused of assaulting the photographer of the local newspaper L'Union - L'Ardennais in Reims in 2021 were convicted by a juvenile court in Marne, a department in the east of France. The court also recognized that Lentenois had been attacked while carrying out his duties as a journalist. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes this strong signal against impunity for crimes committed against media professionals, which should resonate throughout Europe.
Last Thursday, 3 October, the Marne Juvenile Court handed down its verdict in the case of the assault of Christian Lantenois, photographer for the local daily newspaper, L'Union - L'Ardennais, which took place in Reims in February 2021. The main defendant was sentenced to twelve years of imprisonment while the second defendant, who was a minor at the time of the events, received four years' imprisonment, three of which were suspended. Both defendants were found guilty of "robbery with violence resulting in permanent disability" and "participation in an armed gathering". They were not convicted of targeting a journalist, yet, according to the president of the court, the judgment was motivated by "the irreversible harm caused to a 65-year-old man in the exercise of his profession as a journalist."
“RSF welcomes the conviction of those responsible for the attack on L'Union-L'Ardennais photographer Christian Lantenois. The court recognised that Lantenois had been attacked while performing his duties as a journalist, as RSF had argued at the hearing. In these dark times for press freedom, this court ruling sends a strong signal that crimes against journalists can and must be punished. The condemnation of the attack - of violence which occurs rarely in Europe - will resonate throughout the European Union.
Brutally assaulted, while covering the preparation for a brawl that was about to take place in Croix-Rouge, a disadvantaged neighborhood in Reims, Christian Lantenois spent a year in hospital and is now 80% disabled.
At RSF's initiative, the attack was mentioned in the European Commission’s report on the rule of law in France and by the Council of Europe's platform for the safety of journalists. RSF was heard in court during the trial on 1 October.
