A couple of lawyers have filed a lawsuit in Switzerland against the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo over a cartoon linked to a deadly fire at a ski resort bar in Crans-Montana.
The legal action was lodged in the Swiss canton of Valais by Stephane Riant and his wife, Beatrice Riant. It is directed against the magazine and the cartoonist Eric Salch.
The case concerns a cartoon published on 9 January. It shows two skiers with bandages and burnt skin skiing downhill. Behind them is a banner reading “Crans-Montana”, the title of an alleged film called “The Burnt Go Skiing”, and the caption “Comedy of the year”.
The wording refers to the 1979 French comedy Les Bronzes font du ski, known in Greek as Carefree Holidays. The cartoon uses a similar title and format.
The publication date coincided with a national day of mourning in Switzerland. The day honoured the 40 people who died in the Crans-Montana tragedy. Most of the victims were young. Many were foreign nationals, including French and Italian citizens.
The fire broke out at a bar in the ski resort. It was described by authorities as one of the deadliest incidents of its kind in Switzerland. Agence France-Presse contacted Charlie Hebdo for comment. The magazine declined to respond.
In their legal filing, the lawyers argue that the cartoon turns real victims into smiling characters in a tragedy for which they bore no responsibility. They say this amounts to a denial of basic human dignity.
They state that respect for human dignity should take precedence over freedom of expression in this case.
The claim asks local authorities to open a formal investigation into the magazine’s management and the cartoonist. It also seeks compensation, which the lawyers say should be shared among all the victims.