QA-23, 6 July 2016

We have closely followed the preparation and adoption processes of the draft amendments to the Law on the Freedom of Press that the French National Assembly adopted concerning criminalization of the denial of war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide under certain conditions.

In the event that the Draft is enacted in its present form, it has the potential to pose the risk of limiting the freedom of expression unlawfully, especially impinging the jurisprudences of the ECtHR and the Constitutional Council of France.

We will follow closely also the upcoming process at the French Senate in the near future, regarding the Draft which has not yet been enacted.

We expect that the French Senate will remove the elements that may have the potential to pose the risk of limiting the freedom of expression from the Draft.