French Lawyer Arrested by Anti-Terrorism Police Speaks Out

She came out of police custody on March 24 and confides to us today her feelings through an official press release, in which she underlines that “nothing is reproached to her” . “I have not been the subject of any prosecution, I have not been indicted, nor even placed under the status of assisted witness” , she explains.

She tells how the arrest and the interrogation took place, insisting on the “deplorable conditions” which Sylvain Baron, Yellow Vest and author also arrested that day, also told us about. Then she asks the question:

“Wasn’t it easier to summon me than to take me in front of my children and keep me in custody in deplorable conditions knowing that it was, in the end, only to obtain information since nothing is reproached to me?”

The lawyer also briefly addresses the media who reported on her arrest by speaking of terrorism, extremism or even conspiracy, and assures us:

“I will not stop there, because it is pure defamation and intention to harm, but I will seek a right of reply.”

Below, the full press release from Me Virginie DE ARAUJO-RECCHIA, lawyer at the Paris Bar:

Several media reported on my arrest on March 22, 2022 at the DGSI premises, which ended on March 24, 2022.

Indeed, on March 22, 2022 at 6:40 a.m., twelve people, including hooded police officers from special forces, six cars entered our property, then they violently pounded on our door.

We of course opened; however, we noticed that all the equipment was already ready on the ground, to force our door.

This team, made up of police forces, in particular the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), the representative of the President of the Paris Bar, the Registrar and two investigating judges, then invested, without firing a shot, our home and started a search, in every room, even in our children’s room, the car and the garden.

They went so far as to go through our family photographs, our bank statements, the accounts of several years, all the files one by one, looked in our books, etc. They seized all the computer and telephone equipment that we use for our professional activity.

All this took place in front of our young children, which is not without consequence.

I was then transported to the premises of the DGSI in Levallois Perret (92), after discovering that I was suspected of complicity in terrorism.

There I was detained for 60 hours in inhumane conditions. I prefer not to give the details in order to preserve my dignity.

Today I would like to share my observations with you.

When I left police custody, I was not the subject of any prosecution, I was not indicted, nor even placed under the status of “assisted witness”.

I am therefore not part of the case.

All that binds me to the file is the fact that I am one of the lawyers of one of the persons involved.

Wasn’t it easier to summon me than to take me in front of my children and keep me in custody in deplorable conditions knowing that in the end it was only a question of obtaining information since I’m not being blamed for anything?

What about the presumption of innocence?

It should be noted that there are approximately 800,000 police custody cases per year in France, which despite their infamous nature, have unfortunately become commonplace.

One of the reasons put forward to explain the increase in police custody in recent years is in particular that the number in police custody is one of the performance indices of a police station, thus pushing its officials to be zealous in the matter.

There has also been a significant increase in their number in the recent period against lawyers or journalists. In the absence of serious or sufficient proof, the state tendency is therefore to intimidate these two professions, which nevertheless constitute one of the foundations of any democracy.

The same applies to certain doctors, who are subjected to the same methods of intimidation, when they try to warn about the harmful consequences of measures to manage the health “crisis” or injections of experimental gene therapies.

They are prosecuted before the Order of Physicians and before the courts, which are forced to pronounce the release, for lack of serious grievance.

Then, I can’t help but have a thought for the yellow vests who were the first to suffer the violence of the government.

As far as I am concerned, I have been very active for years in several cases relating to fundamental rights, freedom of expression and the health “crisis”.

I thus wrote a report entitled “Dictatorship 2020, State terrorism, attack on the fundamental interests of the Nation and crime against humanity”, which was notably published in November 2020 by the Genocide Observatory.

I currently represent several associations and individuals who have filed complaints based on the arguments recorded in this report.

I am also a member of a group of lawyers and international jurists who work to fight with the instruments of the law against the draconian measures which have been taken within the framework of the management of the so-called “health” crisis, concomitantly in different countries of the world.

I will say no more about the file which obviously served as a pretext for my custody. First, because an investigation is in progress. Then, because I do not have access to the file, insofar as I am neither “indicted” in this case, nor placed under the status of “assisted witness”, as I indicated. Finally, because of the confidentiality of the lawyer-client relationship because I am subject to professional secrecy.

Regarding the interrogation, which I underwent for about ten hours, I will limit myself to quoting some of the questions that were put to me:

a. Are you a patriot?
b. What is the term conspiracy?
c. What do you think of the Muslim religion?
d. What do you think of the Jewish religion?
e. What do you think of 5G antennas?
f. What do you think of pedophilia?
g. What do you think of Freemasonry?
h. Do you think that ministers are linked to pedophile networks?
i. What do you think of Emmanuel Macron?
d. What measures lead you to say that these are crimes against humanity?
k. What is the New World Order?

Everyone will be free to form their own opinion.

The investigator asked me to explain to him the main lines of my “ideology”. To which I replied that it was not about ideology but proven and justified facts that I have been meticulously listing for two years.

All the hearings of the International Court of Public Opinion/Grand Jury, in particular, have made it possible to hear the testimonies of some of the world’s leading experts in science and medicine, in psychopathology and psychology, in history, economics, geostrategy as well as testimonies of victims of the present and the past.

I also personally collected the testimonies of parents of victims, caregivers, French firefighters in order to present them to the Grand Jury.

It is about expertise, professionals, witnesses, victims. It’s not about ideology.

The only goal here is the search for the truth.

I conclude that this questioning will have, at least, enabled me to bring to the attention of the investigators the main arguments of the complaints filed during this “health crisis” on behalf of my clients.

Here is the list:
https://dar-avocats.com/actualites/

Some media have reported on a “terrorist file” and, my name being cited as “lawyer representing various figures from conspiratorial circles” or “small groups extremists”, the defamatory nature of this amalgam will have escaped no one.

I will not stop there because it is pure defamation and intent to harm but I will seek a right of reply.

The attempt to amalgamate between a lawyer and one of his clients is nothing new. Some seem to escape it more than others. The current Keeper of the Seals is not unaware of this, he who has defended a number of criminals, proven this time, during his career.

Others, who take the risk of confronting the State and opposing the financial interests of large international groups (pharmaceutical, financial and media, etc.), are likely to be placed in police custody without justification. 

This will not prevent me from continuing my fight for the defense of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

During this event, I had the chance to be assisted by my colleagues Me Maud MARIAN, Me Serge LEWISCH and Me Philippe AUTRIVE, Lawyers at the Bar of Paris, throughout my police custody and I thank them of their brotherly friendship.

From the beginning, the Paris Bar has exercised its vigilance to guarantee professional secrecy, which covers my activities.

As such, Me Vincent NIORÉ, Vice-Bâtonnier of the Paris Bar ensures that the principles of the profession are protected. We trust him given that our colleague has dedicated his career to the defense of lawyers.

I would like to thank some of the DGSI investigators, who, despite everything, made gestures of humanity towards me.

I also thank the colleagues and lawyers who supported me in the shadows, especially those of our national, European and international groups, who were on high alert!

https://healthfreedomdefense.org/illegal-arrest-and-detaining-of-virginie-araujo-recchia/

Finally, I thank the thousands of people who sent me messages of affection and support as well as all those who made videos to denounce this injustice.

This solidarity, this cohesion and this heart are a great strength, that’s all they don’t have and that’s what can never be taken away from us.

Me Virginie de Araujo-Recchia
March 30, 2022