- From Rina Sherman, author of Le huitième mort de Tibhirine -
PRESS RELEASE
Paris, November 26, 2009
- High Court of Paris -
Jean-Baptiste Rivoire Condemned
by the High Court of Paris
for Voluntary Violence
Against Didier Contant
- Paris, November 26, 2009 -
Five and a half years after the death of grand reporter Didier Contant, the journalist Jean-Baptiste RIVOIRE has been condemned by the High Court of Paris for voluntary violence against Didier Contant, grand reporter who died during his third investigation into the assassination of the Monks of Tibhirine.
This quarrel between journalists have thus far not attracted the attention it deserves; yet this strange case goes far beyond a mere professional rivalry:
Rivoire and Contant were both investigating into the the death in 1996 of the Monks of Tibhirine.
In January 2004, Didier Contant, who had published a first article in Le Figaro Magazine, was preparing to publish a new article that would have totally contradicted the thesis of Rivoire.
During his last investigation, the reporter had found new witnesses stating that the monks had been killed by the GIA, and he had gathered evidence casting doubts on the credibility of Abdelkader Tigha. However, the investigation of Rivoire relied heavily on the statements of the latter, a sub-officer deserter from the Algerian army, who accused the army of being responsible for the murder of the Tibhirine monks.
The revelations of Tigha have been widely exploited by a number of people with keen interest in the situation in Algeria and who have been accusing the Algerian government for several years without qualification of manipulating Islamist terrorism.
With the intention of preventing any further publication by his colleague, Jean-Baptiste Rivoire contacted several Parisian editorial offices invoking reliable sources to accuse Didier Contant of being an Algerian and French secret service agent.
Several journalists heard by the judge Ramaël confirmed having witnessed Rivoire’s accusations, as well as the serious nature of such a foil, which inevitably condemns the targeted person to a total loss of credibility and to his professional death...
Didier Contant not bear to be slandered and attacked in his professional integrity in this way.
Four years ago, Rina Sherman, Contant’s companion, filed a criminal suit. She has since published her own investigation in a book entitled "The Eighth Death of Tibhirine"* as well as in a film, "Paris of my exiles."
The inquiry has now fully confirmed the allegations against Jean-Baptiste Rivoire.
A reporter voluntarily sets out to manipulate information, creates a vile calumny, diffuses it in professional circles where no-one bothers to cross-check his information, the victim pays the price… That was the Contant case.
With this referral to the criminal court, one can henceforth refer to the Rivoire case.
- Éditions Tatamis, Paris, 2007
- Lazhari Labter Éditions & Le soir d’Algérie, Alger, 2007
Le huitième mort de Tibhirine will be published in Arab in 2009 by Lazhari Labter Éditions in Algiers.
Paris of My Exiles
Qui a tué Didier Contant / Le huitième mort de Tibhirine
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