The case takes a new turn. The Paris Court of Appeal ruled “regular” the defamation complaint of the former president of the student union Unef against Release for a 2018 article, sending the case back to court for trial, AFP learned from lawyers.
February 19, 2018 Release had published the testimonies of women reporting sexual abuse within the National Union of Students of France (Unef). Jean-Baptiste Prévost, president between 2007 and 2011, lodged a complaint shortly after. In December 2020, however, the court ruled that the complaint was invalid for procedural reasons. The complainant appealed and the court ruled in his favor in a September 8 judgment.
“This is good news,” responded the advice of Jean-Baptiste Prévost, Me Sophie Obadia. “This will finally allow us to tackle the merits, to have a real trial with a cross-examination of the arguments of Release “. “This will allow us to discuss this file on the merits”, also declared the lawyer of the daily, Me Charles-Emmanuel Soussen, “the witnesses that had been called (…) will come and this time will be heard”.
Seven passages deemed defamatory by Jean-Baptiste Prévost
The survey published by Release described an organization where young activists were the target of insistent pressure, especially under the presidency of Jean-Baptiste Prévost marked, according to the newspaper, “by a multitude of abuses”. The Unef was “a sexual hunting ground”, wrote Release.
Two women also reported a rape in 2014 and 2016 by a member of the management of the union, designated by his first name, “Grégory T”. Four activists also recounted sexual assaults by another trade unionist, called “A”, in 2007, 2008 and 2013, as well as rape in 2015.
Jean-Baptiste Prévost targets in his complaint seven passages that he considers defamatory and also denounces the fact of being “the only one to be specifically implicated with his close-up photo”.
No trial for several months
Lawyer Release defends an “extremely serious investigation” with “three months of work, forty interviews”, “cross-checked testimony”.
Shortly after the explosion of the Weinstein affair and the #MeToo movement, The world had published, three months before Release, an article describing a “system of gender-based violence” within the organization. The same day, 83 former activists or executives signed a platform denouncing gender-based and sexual violence.
The trial will not take place for several months. Scheduled over three half-days, it was to be the opportunity to hear twelve former members of the union, cited by the civil party and the defense.