Dora Moutot’s Conviction Sparks UN Expert’s Concern Over Women’s Safety and Free Speech

Alsalem has asked the French Government for information about the conviction, Moutot’s reported appeal and other legal proceedings linked to her public statements on sex and gender.

A criminal conviction against French journalist, author and feminist commentator Dora Moutot has drawn serious concern from Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, who has questioned the court's reasoning and raised concerns about threats reportedly directed at Moutot. The case brings together questions about protection from discrimination, women's freedom to discuss their safety and the responsibility of authorities to investigate intimidation against people taking part in public debate. Alsalem has asked the French Government for information about the conviction, Moutot's reported appeal and other legal proceedings linked to her public statements on sex and gender.

The Court's Reasoning Comes Under Scrutiny

On 20 May 2026, the Paris Judicial Court convicted Moutot of public insult against a person or group on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, requiring her to pay a total of €4,754. She has reportedly appealed the conviction. The conduct was initially prosecuted as incitement to hatred, violence or discrimination before being reclassified as public insult. According to the judgment described in the press release, the court found that her statements did not implicitly or explicitly encourage the public to commit violence, discrimination or hatred against transgender women. It still considered the statements an expression spreading hatred based on intolerance and imposed a criminal sanction, a distinction that lies at the centre of Alsalem's concern.

Women's Safety and Freedom to Speak

Alsalem said that women expressing caution around men, particularly when they have reasons to fear for their safety, should not automatically be treated as engaging in hate speech. She described such concerns as potentially reasonable and legitimate within discussions about women's safety and women-only spaces, stressing that women should not face sanctions for speaking about their own protection or the safety of other women and girls. Her statement recognised the obligation to protect people from discrimination and violence, alongside the need to respect freedom of opinion and expression, women's equal participation in public debate and their right to live without violence or intimidation. In her view, expressing opinions about sex, gender or women's needs based on their sex should not itself become grounds for harassment, intimidation or punishment.

Reported Threats Raise Questions About Protection

The Special Rapporteur also highlighted reports of death threats and calls for physical violence against Moutot, including threats made during demonstrations, online harassment campaigns, doxxing and other intimidation. Several complaints were reportedly closed without the perpetrators being identified. Alsalem said that, if confirmed, the contrast between criminal proceedings over Moutot's statements and the lack of effective outcomes in investigations into threats against her would raise concerns about equality before the law, authorities' duty to investigate and the right to an effective remedy. She has requested details from the French Government about those investigations, measures to ensure Moutot's safety, her conviction and appeal, and the other proceedings. She urged authorities to protect Moutot from threats and reprisals, respect the independence of ongoing judicial proceedings and ensure women can discuss sex and gender without violence, intimidation or disproportionate restrictions on expression.