Documents with clues on the killing of two RFI reporters in Mali declassified

After months of waiting, the judge in charge of the investigation into the murder of two staff members of news agency, RFI, in Mali in 2013 will now have access to the Ministry of Defence’s documents related to the assassination.

Journalist Ghislaine Dupont and reporting technician Claude Verlon were abducted after interviewing a Tuareg rebel leader in Kidal. Their bodies were found outside the town soon after.

The documents have now been declassified and will be examined by the judge specialised in terrorist offences, Jean-Marc Herbaut.

A Commission which received all the documents relating to the case authorised the release 100 of the 175 documents that were handed to the Commission by the Ministry of Defence.

On Wednesday, the declassified documents arrived at the judge’s office and consist of telegrams, notes, photos and other information relating to the case. Included in the files are documents that have been provided by three intelligence agencies.

Several paragraphs in the documents have been erased to avoid compromising the way the army carries out operations and to protect future operations.

The judge could also ask to hear testimony from military personnel named in the file to clarify some of the contents and could also ask for the release of other related documents.