The Charlie-Hebdo weekly satirical Paris-based newspaper has been cleared of a charge of publicly abusing a group of people because of their religion. A group of French Muslim associations filed a complaint following their publication of the 2005 Danish cartoons in February 2006. The appeals court ruled that the cartoons were not aimed at insulting all Muslims, did not constitute an attack on Islam and did not go beyond the limits of free speech. The paper’s lawyer, Richard Malka, proclaimed the decision a beautiful victory for secularism and freedom of expression.
