Besson case: "Le Point" and Aziz Zemouri sentenced again for defamation

Louise Bernard, edited by Solène Leroux with AFP 11:30 a.m., June 29, 2022

Chance of the news after the Garrido-Corbière affair, the judgment fell on Tuesday.

and its journalist Aziz Zemouri were attacked for defamation by Sand Van Roy, an actress who accuses Luc Besson of rape and sexual assault.

In an article on the

website , Aziz Zemouri said that the actress had already filed another complaint for rape in Belgium, against an unknown person.

Which is false, as the investigators were able to verify.

The journalist would have had access to this information via Luc Besson's statement to the investigators. 

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Le Point

 had written that Luc Besson "remembered" in front of the investigators "that she had spoken to him about it".

The magazine added "He questioned these facts of rape since as far as he is concerned, they are false, he asserted".

The newspaper "seems to take up the cause of Luc Besson"

Justice therefore pointed to these "insinuations" of the journalist in his article which, according to her, "seems to take up the cause of Luc Besson" in a form of "promotion of [his] defense".

On the passage specifically referred to, he "insinuates" that Sand Van Roy "files complaints for rape devoid of any foundation", which is defamatory.

"This decision goes far beyond the sad Zemouri and

newspaper . It is the whole ecosystem of truth so far denied to Sand Van Roy which is called into question", reacted to AFP Me Antoine Gitton, one of Sand Van Roy's lawyers.

Étienne Gernelle, publication director of the newspaper, and Aziz Zemouri are ordered to pay a fine of 3,000 euros and 2,000 euros respectively, as well as to jointly pay 3,000 euros in damages and interest to Sand Van Roy, as well as 2,000 euros in justice.

The offending passage should be removed from the site.