PRESS RELEASE – March 4, 2026, Paris
By letter of today, the Association of Jurists for the Respect of International Law (JURDI) informed Mr. Rémy HEITZ, Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, of the actions committed by Mr. Jean-Noël BARROT, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, which are likely to constitute the offense of disseminating or reproducing false news punishable under Article 27 of the Law of July 29, 1881 on the Freedom of the Press.
These acts were committed to the detriment of Ms. Francesca ALBANESE, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Mr. Jean-Noël BARROT having relayed and given credence to a falsified information according to which she had described Israel as a "common enemy of humanity" - a phrase which she, in reality, never uttered.
The false statements made by Mr. Jean-Noël Barrot, all the more serious given their significant international repercussions, were made on February 11, 2026, in the National Assembly, in his capacity as Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Pursuant to Article 68-1 of the Constitution, their adjudication therefore falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the Republic.
Pursuant to Article 17 of the Organic Law of 23 November 1993 on the Court of Justice of the Republic, we request the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation to seek the opinion of the petitions committee at the Court of Justice of the Republic, with a view to initiating criminal proceedings against Mr. Jean-Noël BARROT.
The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs cannot claim any immunity simply because his remarks were made in the National Assembly. Indeed, it is clear from the preparatory work leading to the adoption of Article 41 of the Law of 29 July 1881 on the Freedom of the Press that the immunity provided for in the first paragraph of that article applies only to members of the National Assembly and the Senate, and in no case to members of the Government.
This report follows the one made on February 12, 2026 to Ms. Laure BECCUAU, Public Prosecutor of Paris, concerning the video montage of the truncated remarks of Ms. Francesca ALBANESE published by the organization UN Watch, and its instrumentalization by certain political figures, notably the MP Ms. Caroline YADAN.
JURDI will continue to defend respect for international law, much to the chagrin of political leaders who, rather than enforcing it, seek to slander those who remind them of it.
View the full document