The investigation is progressing in the case of the dissemination of intimate videos attributed to Benjamin Griveaux which had led to his withdrawal from the race at the Paris City Hall. Sunday, February 16, the Paris prosecutor's office announced that the Russian artist who claimed their broadcast and his partner, who would be the recipient of the videos, were placed in police custody in this case.

Both are in police custody for "invasion of privacy" and "dissemination without the consent of the person of sexual images", in the context of the investigation opened on Saturday following the filing of a complaint against X by Benjamin Griveaux.

Police custody of Pavlenski in another case

Piotr Pavlenski, 35, was taken into police custody on Saturday afternoon in another case relating to violence committed on the evening of December 31. She was suspended on Sunday and a second police custody started to question her about the Griveaux case. The total duration of such custody may not exceed 48 hours, that is, until Monday afternoon.

His partner, Alexandra de Taddeo, 29, has been in police custody since Saturday evening in the Griveaux case. According to a source familiar with the matter, she was the recipient of the videos in question.

According to information from BFMTV, she has had a relationship with the Russian protest artist since January 2019.

Political refugee in France since 2017, Piotr Pavlenski said on Friday that he was the source of the said videos, saying he wanted to denounce the "hypocrisy" of Benjamin Griveaux.

The latter "used his family by presenting himself as an icon for all the fathers and husbands in Paris. He propagated traditional family values," said Piotr Pavlenski.

"Grotesque" justification, for Griveaux's lawyer

This justification is "grotesque", answered Saturday evening the lawyer of Benjamin Griveaux, Richard Malka. "I have rarely seen a more cynical personality. We are in an absolute sham, with pseudo-artists who consider that they are in a dictatorship and give moral lessons," he said on LCI.

On @LCI, Richard Malka, the lawyer for #Griveaux, shoots with red bullets on Piotr Pavlenski and Juan Branco.

"There are people who spend their time partying in the 6th arrondissement, stabbing people. They don't care about the world (...) We are in an absolute sham" pic.twitter.com/cpeHUNrjXl

- Antoine Llorca ⭐️⭐️ (@antoinellorca) February 15, 2020

He also expressed doubts that Mr. Pavlenski was solely responsible for the dissemination of the videos. "Clearly, I do not believe at all that he acted alone," he continued, without advancing further and referring to the investigation opened by the prosecution.

The Russian artist, convicted in 2019 for having burned down a branch of the Banque de France in Paris in October 2017 during an "artistic performance", is also accused of having participated in a brawl in the evening of December 31 in an apartment in Paris. According to an AFP participant's story, an argument broke out between several people and Piotr Pavlenski, who seized a knife in the kitchen.

Two of the guests were injured with this knife, reported the Mediapart news site, which had revealed the existence of this investigation.

The lawyer and essayist Juan Branco, who says he "advised" Piotr Pavlenski on the videos behind Benjamin Griveaux's withdrawal, was also present at this New Years Eve party.

Benjamin Griveaux's withdrawal caused a political shock wave and forced the presidential party to urgently find him a successor to run for the Mairie de Paris in the municipal elections in March.

With AFP

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