Luxembourg: We condemn the smear campaign targeting investigative journalist Véronique Poujol
For several weeks, investigative journalist Véronique Poujol of Reporter.lu has been the target of a major smear campaign by a website. The journalist has filed a complaint. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), which have filed an alert with the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists, join the Luxembourg Association of Professional Journalists (ALJP) in expressing their solidarity with Véronique Poujol, reiterating that journalistic criticism is legitimate and that smear campaigns and the dissemination of false accusations should not be confused with freedom of expression.
On 3 November 2026, the ALJP denounced the existence of the website veroniquepoujol.com , created in May 2026 in Malaysia and available in French, English, and German. Under the title “The Double Life of Véronique Poujol,” the site claims to be conducting a journalistic investigation and accuses the French journalist of “bias,” asserting that she published commissioned articles. It also disseminates false information about her professional background, relying in particular on anonymous sources .
The publication claims to have contacted the journalist and her editorial staff for their reaction, but received no response before going online. According to the ALJP, this claim is false. Furthermore, the perpetrators allegedly used foreign jurisdictions to conceal their identities during the registration and operation of the domain name.
The journalist’s lawyer, Pierre Hurt, denounces attacks on his client’s honor and reputation: “These accusations have absolutely no value. What is legally relevant from a criminal standpoint is the damage to honor, in other words, the harm caused to reputation by the dissemination of false statements. These are a series of allegations that are simply false.”
The journalist has filed a complaint against persons unknown for defamation and slander. Identifying those responsible could prove difficult, however, as the website is registered in Malaysia. The ALJP has launched a solidarity campaign and taken steps to have the site shut down. Its committee is also considering legal action.
The IFJ and the EFJ filed an alert on November 3 with the Council of Europe’s platform for the safety of journalists.
The disinformation campaign was also the subject of an alert on the Mapping Media Freedom platform.
Ricardo Gutiérrez, Secretary General of the EFJ, stated: “ We stand in full solidarity with journalist Véronique Poujol. Creating a website to target a journalist is extremely malicious, both for her reputation and her safety. At a time when lies are spreading rapidly and being used as a pretext to harass media professionals, we count on the authorities to treat this case with the utmost seriousness. ”
Anthony Bellanger, Secretary General of the IFJ, said: “Attacking a journalist’s reputation to undermine her credibility is a particularly pernicious way to try to silence her. Defending journalists against these practices is also defending the public’s right to free and independent information.”
