Paris – French newspaper Liberation is facing legal action for falsely attributing statements to an earthquake victim and publishing her photograph without prior consent on its contentious September 11 front page.
The victim, Touria Sarka, portrayed in a distressed state in the photograph used by the newspaper, did not speak the words featured in the headlines of the September 11 edition, as confirmed by the newspaper itself.
Responding to this, the victim’s legal representatives, Robin Binsard and Mourad Elajouti, both lawyers at the Paris and Casablanca bars, have chosen to pursue legal action against the publication.
On September 11, Libération published a picture depicting Mrs. Touria Sarka in distress due to the collapse of her house, accompanied by the headline “help us, we are dying in silence.”
However, she alleges that she never uttered the words; instead, she exclaimed “Long live the King” at the time of the photograph.
The two lawyers said in their statement that their client’s version of the story is confirmed by a video in their possession that has been widely circulated on social media, a copy of which is held by Moroccan news outlet H24info. The lawyers further emphasized that Libération, seemingly driven by a sensationalist agenda, irresponsibly attributed words to their client that she never spoke.
Read also: Moroccan Press Council Files Complaint Against French Media For Unethical Earthquake Reporting
This action constitutes the crime of illicit assembly as defined in article 226-8 of the Penal Code, in addition to violating her privacy by disseminating the photograph without her consent, the lawyers said, noting that they have formally demanded Libération to remove this misleading photomontage from its website and issue apologies to Mrs. Touria Sarka.
If an adequate response is not received, a complaint will be filed with the Public Prosecutor of Paris, the source added. The lawyers pointed out that this misleading photomontage is particularly damaging in the specific context of Morocco’s perceived decision to reject aid from France.
By inaccurately and insensitively reporting Ms. Touria Sarka’s remarks, the lawyers argued, the French newspaper sought to imply that she disagreed with the position of her country’s authorities regarding France’s offer to assist in the earthquake relief effort.
