On 31 July 2024, French journalist Thomas Dietrich was ordered by the Swiss justice to withdraw his publications exposing alleged corruption in Guinea and was banned from speaking on the subject.
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) condemns the order issued by the Geneva Court of First Instance against the investigative journalist and considers it a serious attack on press freedom. The so-called “provisional and super-provisional” measures were taken without informing the journalist, who was silenced until the next hearing.
On 4 May, Thomas Dietrich revealed in a video that the Swiss company ADDAX ENERGY, owned by the billionaire Jean-Claude Gandur, had won the contract to supply fuel to Guinea without a call for tenders. In four other publications (dated 6 and 16 May, as well as 10 and 26 July), the investigative journalist went on to denounce the delivery of fuel that was allegedly toxic and endangering the Guinean population. When the health, environmental and economic scandal was made public, the Guinean civil society organisation “Le Réseau National des Acteurs du Développement Durable” (RENADE) brought the case to the Court of Repression of Economic and Financial Infractions (CRIEF) in Guinea, calling for the termination of the oil contract.
Two requests for protection of personality (article 28 of the Swiss Civil Code) were then filed with the Geneva Civil Court by Jean-Claude Gandur. This legal action allows the withdrawal of any “unlawful attack” on the applicant’s honour and reputation, if it is imminent, without a hearing of the opposing party. While the request to withdraw the publications and ban the journalist from speaking on the subject was rejected on 7 July for lack of explanation of the reason for the request, the same Geneva civil court ruled on 31 July 2024 against Thomas Dietrich. Social network X was also ordered to make the journalist’s posts inaccessible from Switzerland.
“I will not succumb to silence. The courts are not putting forward any substantive arguments to say that my publications are defamatory or erroneous. I was simply ordered to stop my investigations and withdraw them within 48 hours, without even being heard. I have decided not to apply the Swiss court’s decision and to continue investigating. I am even prepared to fight to the European Court of Human Rights”, Thomas Dietrich told the European Federation of Journalists.
Source: EFJ
