perpetrator walk

perpetrator walk

Mardi, un des avocats français de l’ex-directeur du Fonds monétaire international (FMI) a annoncé son intention de poursuivre les médias qui diffuseraient des images de DSK menotté. Pour lui, ces clichés, pris pendant la « perp walk » (terme argotique utilisé par les médias américains pour désigner la «perpetrator walk», littéralement « marche de l’auteur » des faits), sont illégaux en France. L’article 35 ter de la loi de 1881 sur la liberté de la presse est, il est vrai, parfaitement clair : il est formellement interdit en France « de publier, sans l’accord de l’intéressé, l’image d’une personne, portant des menottes, mise en cause à l’occasion d’une procédure pénale mais n’ayant pas fait l’objet d’un jugement de condamnation ».

Mais, à l’heure de l’information mondialisée, alors que, grâce à Internet, le public peut se connecter à n’importe quel site étranger, n’y a-t-il pas une part d’hypocrisie à brandir cette loi inapplicable dans les faits?

Fallait-il cacher les menottes de DSK ? par Valerie de Senneville Les Echos,20/05/2011

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In Caldarola v. County of Westchester 343 F.3d at 570 (2003), the court found that perp walks undertaken as part of a legitimate law enforcement action (such as transporting a suspect from jail to a courthouse), do not violate a suspect’s rights. In addition, the court held that perp walks may serve legitimate government purposes, including educating the public about law-enforcement efforts, and enhancing the transparency of the criminal justice system.

The “perp walk,” that is, when an accused wrongdoer is led away in handcuffs by the police to the courthouse, police station, or jail, has been featured in newspapers and newscasts for decades. The normally camera-shy arrestees often pull coats over their heads, place their hands in front of their faces, or otherwise attempt to obscure their identities. A recent surge in “executive perp walks” has featured accused white collar criminals in designer suits and handcuffs. Whether the accused wrongdoer is wearing a sweatshirt over his head or an Armani suit on his back, we suspect that perp walks are broadcast by networks and reprinted in newspapers at least in part for their entertainment value. Yet, perp walks also serve the more serious purpose of educating the public about law enforcement efforts. The image of the accused being led away to contend with the justice system powerfully communicates government efforts to thwart the criminal element, and it may deter others from attempting similar crimes.

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New York Criminal Procedure (pdf) 2001

Perp walk : exhibition judiciaire du prévenu face aux médias is a post from: Netlex Focus