French Activist Acquitted in High-Profile Cyberbullying Case Against Journalist

Idriss Sihamedi or Driss Yemmou in civil status, won his legal battle against the former Charlie Hebdo journalist. Between September 23 and October 11, he had sent her 80 Tweets, some of which exposed the private life of the victim and were followed by the mention #balancezinebelrhazoui or #zinebgate.

In its verdict, the President of the Court acknowledged the materiality of the cyberbullying, but considered that there was "no evidence of the actual deterioration of the living conditions" of Zineb El Rhazoui. The magistrate noted that "in the matter of harassment, the repeated behaviors must have had a certain and direct impact on the life of others". He also mentioned one of the private correspondences exchanged between the two protagonists. In one of these correspondences, she admitted that she was not at all destabilized by the insults and invectives addressed to her. In view of these elements, the court decided to acquit Mr. Yemmou of the facts he was accused of.

Contacted by AFP, Ouadie Elhamamouchi and Sefen Guez Guez, two of the three lawyers who defended Idriss Sihamedi, described the decision as "very good news". Moreover, he will have to appear on March 3 before the 17th criminal chamber of the Paris court for "public insult". One of his subscribers would have posted the private address of Ms. El Rhazoui, who has been under police protection since 2015, on Twitter.