Journalist detained by French police for leaking classified information

A French journalist has been arrested by French police for her involvement in a 2021 report that accused French intelligence of collaborating with Egypt to target and kill civilians. Ariane Lavrilleux's home was searched, and she was later taken into custody. The arrest is part of an investigation into national security breaches. Amnesty International France has criticized the arrest, expressing concerns over the freedom of the press and protection of sources. Lavrilleux is being questioned by officers from the French intelligence service, who are analyzing her report that used leaked classified documents to claim that Egyptian authorities used French intelligence to carry out bombings and killings on the Egyptian-Libyan border. The report accused French forces of being involved in at least 19 bombings targeting civilians. The report was published by Disclose, an investigative journalism website. Disclose asserted that French authorities were aware of the activities but chose to ignore them. Despite acknowledging that the report contained national security secrets, Disclose argued that it was vital to share the information in the name of democracy and the right to information. France's armed forces ministry filed a legal complaint against Disclose for the violation of national defense secrets. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for Lavrilleux's release and for all charges against her to be dropped. They emphasize the importance of journalists freely reporting on defense and security matters without the pressure of disclosing their sources.