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Crime

France's Marine Le Pen stripped of parliamentary immunity

November 8, 2017

The French parliament has lifted far-right leader Marine Le Pen's immunity from prosecution. A judge can now call her in for questioning over a series of tweets.

https://p.dw.com/p/2nHqi
Parlamentswahl in Frankreich 2017 Marine Le Pen Front National
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Lo Presti

A French parliamentary committee on Wednesday lifted National Front leader Marine Le Pen's parliamentary immunity over her tweets of "Islamic State" (IS) violence.

The decision opens the way for a judge to summon the former presidential contender, including by police force.

In December 2015, Le Pen tweeted three gruesome pictures of IS crimes, including one that showed the execution of American journalist James Foley.

She later deleted the post after coming under criticism, saying that she didn't know it was Foley in the picture.

Under French law, "publishing violent images" is a crime punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($88,100).

French investigators had earlier launched a probe into the tweets but could do nothing because Le Pen had immunity.

The European Parliament in March stripped Le Pen of her immunity for the tweets, but she got it back after being elected as a member of the French parliament in June.

cw/rc (AFP, AP)