French Justice Ministry seeks to censor Egypt Papers probe into civilian killings

The unprecedented move adds to the pressure exerted on Disclose. The Justice Ministry has called for our series of articles called Egypt Papers to be censored together with the documentary broadcast on France 2 TV programme Complément d’Enquête in late 2021 and still freely accessible. The appeal, lodged on 20 May by a prosecutor in the Paris Court of Appeal, is aimed at burying information in the public interest about France’s complicity in the killings of civilians in Egypt, including through a military intelligence operation classified as a top secret defence matter, Operation Sirli.

And there is more to come.

The prosecutor, appointed by the president of the Republic based on a proposal from the justice minister, has called for Ariane Lavrilleux to be indicted, although our reporter was cleared of all charges. She was prosecuted for “appropriation and disclosure of a national defence secret”. Her flat was searched, she spent 39 hours in police custody and her every move was tracked for weeks.

The Justice Ministry has also called for the other journalists who worked on the investigation to appear before a judge.

Reporters Without Borders (RWB) has condemned “legal harrassment which shows that journalism is being criminalised, a worrying trend”. RWB France’s Laure Chauvel says that “defence secrecy rules should not be used to trample on press freedom and protection of sources, or to undermine the concept of public interest”.

This latest assault on our right to inform you freely cannot be allowed to succeed. Our lawyer, Christophe Bigot, restated before the Court of Appeal that it should confirm that all charges have been dropped and that access to information is protected. The investigatory chamber ruling is expected on 8 July 2026.