The French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which was sued by a Muslim school after an article linked it to the Muslim Brotherhood, was convicted of libel by the court in Valence (South) on Thursday, as we learned from its lawyer and the president of the The association that manages them has experienced the school.
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Charlie Hebdo was sentenced to a suspended sentence of 3,000 euros and also had to pay 3,000 euros in damages to the association Valeurs et Successor, which runs the school in Valence on a non-contractual basis, it said.
The satirical weekly's lawyer, Richard Malka, regretted a “disappointing decision” and said he would appeal the verdict, which AFP has not been able to obtain at this time.
“Justice clearly shows that there is no connection between the association and the Muslim Brotherhood”, on the contrary, rejoiced the President of Values and Success, Mourad Jabri, “satisfied with a very rare decision, taken after a very long struggle became.”
According to him, “an injustice has happened” to his club with “dramatic consequences for a project of public interest.”
The article, published in July 2022, made connections between Values and Success and the Islamist Brotherhood of the Muslim Brotherhood.
This had caused controversy and, according to the association, led to the cancellation of the sale of a plot of land of 8,400 m2 in October 2022, although the city had voted in favor in June after an intervention by the prefecture.
The private primary school, which houses around forty students, is currently housed on the grounds of the Grand Mosque of Valencia. It intended to use this land to expand its premises and enter into a contract with the state.
During the hearing, Me Malka cited “the editorial line” of the newspaper.
“We want to silence and restrict freedom of expression,” he argued. “The essence of the press and journalism is to stimulate debate,” he added.