(RSF/IFEX) – The Paris offices of the Damocles Network, RSF’s judicial arm, were broken into and ransacked on the night of 6 to 7 October 2002. An unidentified number of individuals entered the fourth floor offices and tampered with computer and other files. The office’s walls were marked with various threatening phrases, some of which […]
(RSF/IFEX) – The Paris offices of the Damocles Network, RSF’s judicial arm, were broken into and ransacked on the night of 6 to 7 October 2002. An unidentified number of individuals entered the fourth floor offices and tampered with computer and other files. The office’s walls were marked with various threatening phrases, some of which were more or less understandable, but which were clearly aimed at the members of Damocles Network.
The judicial police that arrived at the scene noted the damages to the office and property. At least one computer was reportedly tampered with between 9:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. (local time), and certain files were altered. A Damocles representative received several anonymous telephone calls, which originated from the Damocles Network switchboard, that same night, at 12:20 a.m.
Nothing appears to have been stolen or broken during the break-in, though all the closets in the office were emptied, their contents were scattered across the office floor, and computer cables were cut. The third-floor offices of the magazine “Paris Mômes”, in the same building, were not broken into.
This act of vandalism was clearly carried out in response to the ongoing work of the Damocles Network and RSF. The Damoclès Network is currently investigating over 15 different cases. There are no obvious leads in the break-in.
The Damocles Network was created by RSF to try to end the impunity that so many killers and torturers of journalists enjoy. It sends field-investigation teams, comprised of a lawyer and a journalist, to establish the facts and expose the shortcomings or ineffectiveness of state institutions. It then works with victims through the relevant national and international courts to bring offenders to trial.
