CYIL vol. 15 (2024)

MAGDALENA MATUSIAKǧFRĄCCZAK all these factors can lead to an acceptable result of proceedings. This article is a story of a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in which the Court did not rise to the occasion and accepted disproportionate penal reaction of a state. In the first part of the paper the judgment of the ECtHR in the case Z. B. v. France 8 will be presented. Subsequently, the author will present its commentary on the analysed judgment. 2. ECtHR’s judgment in Z. B. v. France The applicant in the case Z.B. v. France is a maternal uncle of a boy born on 11 September 2009 and named “Jihad”. On the child’s third birthday in 2012 the applicant gave to Jihad a t-shirt, on which it was written “I am a bomb!” on the chest, and “born on 11 th September” on the back. The applicant and his sister (the child’s mother) decided that little Jihad would wear the said t-shirt in a nursery school, yet under a blouse. The t-shirt was noticed by one of the teachers only when she decided to change the child’s clothes. Afterwards she showed the t-shirt to another teacher and the municipal authorities were informed about the incident. As a result, penal proceedings were instituted against the applicant and his sister. The legal basis for the proceedings were two articles of the French law on the freedom of the press. 9 According to Article 23 of the mentioned law those will be punished as accomplices to an action classified as a crime or misdemeanour, who, either by speeches, cries, or threats uttered in public places or meetings, or by writings, printed matter, drawings, engravings, paintings, emblems, images, or any other medium of writing, speech, or images sold or distributed, put on sale or exhibited in public places or meetings, either by placards or posters exposed to public view, or by any means of public communication by electronic means, will have directly provoked the author or authors to commit said action, if the provocation was followed by effect. This provision will also be applicable when the provocation has only been followed by an attempted crime provided for by article 2 of the penal code. 10 Then, on the basis of Article 24, those will be punished, who by one of the means set out in the preceding article, have directly provoked, in the event that this provocation has not been followed by effect, to commit one of the following offenses: 1. Intentional attacks on life, intentional attacks on the integrity of the person and sexual assault, defined by book II of the penal code [...]. Will be punished with the same penalty those who, by one of the means set out in article 23, have defended the crimes referred to in the first paragraph, war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of reduction enslavement or exploitation of 8 ECtHR, Z.B. v. France, app. no. 46883/15, judgment of 2 September 2021. 9 Loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberté de la presse, https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/LEGITEXT000006070722, access: 2024-03-07. 10 ‘ Seront punis comme complices d’une action qualifiée crime ou délit ceux qui, soit par des discours, cris ou menaces proférés dans des lieux ou réunions publics, soit par des écrits, imprimés, dessins, gravures, peintures, emblèmes, images ou tout autre support de l’écrit, de la parole ou de l’image vendus ou distribués, mis en vente ou exposés dans des lieux ou réunions publics, soit par des placards ou des affiches exposés au regard du public, soit par tout moyen de communication au public par voie électronique, auront directement provoqué l’auteur ou les auteurs à commettre ladite action, si la provocation a été suivie d’effet. Cette disposition sera également applicable lorsque la provocation n’aura été suivie que d’une tentative de crime prévue par l’article 2 du code pénal ’.

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