World-renowned trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf was unjustly removed from the jury of the Deauville American Film Festival just days before the event, despite his participation being confirmed for over seven months.
Outraged, he condemns this unjust exclusion from the festival and intends to pursue legal action against the institution, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, to shed light on the questionable reasons behind this decision. The recently appointed festival president, Aude Hesbert, publicly explained that there was “unease within the team” related to the #MeToo movement, which led her to make this decision.
However, in 2020, Ibrahim Maalouf was fully exonerated and cleared of all suspicion following a false accusation that garnered significant attention in 2017 and severely damaged his reputation. He had already expressed indignation in 2020 that his definitive innocence, established by the courts, had not been as widely reported as the original accusations.
Despite being recognized as completely and definitively innocent by the French Court of Appeal in 2020, and despite a separate, definitive condemnation of the newspaper Le Parisien for publishing false claims against him in March 2017 that implied his guilt, Ibrahim Maalouf continues to face pressure and harassment. This is evidenced by the festival’s management’s decision to discreetly request his withdrawal to “preserve the event’s tranquility” and their “reputational interests.”
Ibrahim Maalouf has denounced this blackmail, refusing to give in. He vehemently opposes this decision to remove him from the jury without due process, calling it unjust, unwarranted, and contrary to the fundamental principles of justice and democracy.
Thus, Ibrahim Maalouf refuses to remain silent or bow his head in the face of this latest injustice, which he deems dangerous.
“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” he wrote on his Instagram account, announcing his intention to take legal action to defend his honor and restore his name, both publicly and judicially, so that these intimidation attempts cease once and for all.
At the same time, Ibrahim Maalouf has received immense support and expressed his gratitude to those who have publicly shown solidarity, such as the La Baule Film Festival, which seized the opportunity to announce that he is invited to the next edition of its festival.
Finally, Ibrahim Maalouf calls for a reflection on the fundamental principles of law. It is unacceptable for the presumption of innocence to be so frequently violated; and moreover it is unbearable to see that even a judicially established and definitively proven innocence is now being disregarded.