Assa Traoré

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2023-046-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2023
  • France
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 46.227638

Longitude: 2.213749

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
France
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • UN Treaty Bodies: CERD
Dates of prior UN action
25 November 2022
Type of record
Named individual
Gender
Female
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

Ms. Traoré is a woman human rights defender, founder of the organization Comité Verité et Justice pour Adama and the sister of Mr. Adama Traoré, who died in July 2016 while in police custody (FRA 1/2017 and 10/2021).38

Type of rights defended
  • Caste/Ethnic minorities' rights/Racism
Reported trigger of reprisal

On 14 and 15 November 2023, the Committee had an exchange with Ms. Assa Traoré during a closed meeting with civil society where Ms. Traoré provided testimony about the case of her brother. Ms. Traoré posted information about her exchange with the Committee in her social media accounts.

Engagement with UN body
  • UN Treaty Bodies: CERD
Dates of engagement
14-15 November 2022
Type of attempted engagement
  • Participation in meeting on UN premises
  • Submission of information to UN
Dates of mentioned reprisals
November 2022
Location of mentioned reprisals
France, online
Reprisal information
  1. On 25 November 2022, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination sent a letter37 to the Government on allegations of online libellous messages and threats, including from the Twitter accounts of two police professional unions, against Ms. Assa Traoré, following her cooperation with the Committee during the consideration of the 22nd and 23rd periodic reports of France. Ms. Traoré is a woman human rights defender, founder of the organization Comité Verité et Justice pour Adama and the sister of Mr. Adama Traoré, who died in July 2016 while in police custody (FRA 1/2017 and 10/2021).38
  2. On 14 and 15 November 2023, the Committee had an exchange with Ms. Assa Traoré during a closed meeting with civil society where Ms. Traoré provided testimony about the case of her brother. Ms. Traoré posted information about her exchange with the Committee in her social media accounts. Following her posts, libellous messages against Ms. Traoré were published, including in the Twitter accounts of the Union of Commissioners of the National Police (SCPN) and the Union France Police, denigrating Ms. Traoré and her engagement with the Committee. In its concluding observations of 2 December 2022, the Committee urged the State Party to ensure Ms. Traoré’s safety, take disciplinary measures, conduct the necessary investigations and, where appropriate, initiate legal proceedings against the public officials associated with the messages and threats (CERD/C/FRA/CO/22- 23, paras. 27–28).
  3. According to information received by OHCHR, on 8 and 9 December 2022, close relatives of Ms. Traoré received copies of some of the Twitter smearing messages and online articles echoing them. On 9 December, those concerned filed a police report due to fears that online threats could move offline.
Types of reprisals suffered
  • Defamation / Defamation campaign
  • Family/friends/acquaintances targeted
  • Online harassment
Alleged/likely perpetrators
Both state and non-state actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Government response dates
12 January 2023
Government response content
  1. On 12 January 2023, the Government responded 39 to the Committee’s letter, expressing gratitude for the information and confirming the free choice of the Committee to engage with members of civil society. The authorities expressed their determination to prevent and respond to any act of intimidation and reprisals against anyone having cooperated with the United Nations. The authorities noted that they are attentive to Ms. Taroré’s safety and that of her close relatives and had informed that the Paris Office of the Public Prosecutor had started a criminal investigation.
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
1
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
2024
Follow up information provided in SG report 0
  1. The case of Ms. Assa Traoré was included in the 2023 report of the Secretary-General2 on allegations of online libellous messages and online and offline threats to her and her close relatives, including from the Twitter accounts of two police professional unions, linked to her cooperation with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination during the consideration of the 22nd and 23rd periodic reports of France.
  2. Ms. Traoré is a woman human rights defender, founder of the organization Comité Verité et Justice pour Adama and the sister of Mr. Adama Traoré, who died in July 2016 while in police custody (FRA 1/2017 and 10/2021).3 The Government responded to the Committee4 noting that they are attentive to Ms. Taroré’s safety and that of her close relatives and informed that the Paris Office of the Public Prosecutor had started a criminal investigation.
  3. According to information received by OHCHR, Ms. Traoré’s legal team has not received updates regarding the investigation of the Paris Office of the Public Prosecutor into the threats made against her in connection to her participation in the Committee’s session in November 2022.
  4. On 20 June 2024, the Government responded to the note verbale sent in connection to the present report noting that on 19 December 2023 it had provided further information to the Committee84 indicating that, in view of the constitutional principles of the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, it was not for the Government to give any instructions whatsoever on individual cases, nor to interfere in judicial proceedings. The Government confirmed that an investigation had been launched, under the guidance of the national online hate hub at the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, following a notification issued by the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights on the basis of article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, concerning public insults on grounds of origin, ethnicity, nation, race or religion in the context of Ms. Traoré’s statement to the Committee
Followup Trends 0
Stayed same
Did the government respond? 0
Yes