Three journalists have been summoned for questioning by French police for their role in an explosive report detailing how the Macron government knowingly sold arms to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for use in Yemen.

Disclose co-founders Geoffrey Livolsi and Mathias Destal, as well as Benoit Collombat of Radio France have been summoned by police for questioning about the revelations contained within the April 15 report published by Disclose who partnered with Radio France, Mediapart, Arte Info, and Konbini.

The report contained a leaked, classified French intelligence report to the president and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly detailing the use of French weapons in Yemen during a defence council meeting on October 3, 2018.

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The report proves that Macron’s government deliberately lied about having no knowledge that French arms, including French-supplied CAESAR howitzer artillery, tanks, and laser-guided missile systems, would be used “offensively” in Yemen, in violation of the 2014 Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) which entered into force on December 24, 2014.

The journalists argue that the revelations “are of major public interest, that bring to the attention of citizens and their representatives what the government wanted to conceal,” adding that Macron’s decision to pursue them constitutes infringement on freedom of the press and speech in general.

France's domestic intelligence agency has summoned two journalists from @Disclose_ngo in an investigation into the "compromise of national defence secrecy" after our revelations. It's an unprecedent attack on press. @theintercept@gijn@cijournalism@pressfreedompic.twitter.com/MuR5uD9r2i — Disclose (@Disclose_ngo) April 24, 2019

“We have learned that a preliminary investigation for ‘compromising national defence secrets’ has been launched by the Paris prosecutors,” Disclose said in a statement.

The journalists are due to be questioned by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), France’s domestic intelligence agency, in a hearing scheduled for mid-May. The move has been condemned in a statement signed by 36 French press outlets, including Le Monde and AFP.

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen which has been waged since 2015. Up to 14 million people are at risk of starvation as a result of the ensuing Saudi-led blockade.

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