Journalist who called Macron's wife a man told of reasons to seek asylum in Russia

Independent journalist Natasha Rey, who suspected French President Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte of having a sex change, told Izvestia on February 3 about her reasons for seeking political asylum in Russia.

"Why did I choose Russia? Because it is a great nation, a great civilization that I admire, defending the traditional and Christian values that I hold dear. Russia has been the victim of a campaign of disinformation and unwarranted attacks by the European and American media for decades," she commented.

She also called it a huge problem that a French woman has to seek political asylum in Russia, which she considers a country of great democracy compared to the French Republic, which totally disproportionately persecutes its opponents and prohibits freedom of speech.

As the journalist's lawyer Francois Dangléan commented, Rey decided to ask for political asylum in Russia because she feels that in this country she will be reckoned with and will not be persecuted as she is persecuted in France. In addition, the defense noted that Rey is now suffering from a very serious illness.

"She has not yet filed an application, but will soon send it to the Russian embassy in Paris. <...> it seems to her that in Russia she may be considered a normal person, a person of some value, a bit like ex-US National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden, while here in France, the power established in the Elysee Palace persecutes her, and the judges seem to obey that power," Dangléan said.

On that day, Rey told Izvestia about the obstruction of her investigation and subsequent publication. According to her, just weeks after she contacted a woman close to the Macron family, she was detained by police officers. When they raided her home, they tried to break down the front door.

Earlier, Rey's lawyer Francois Dangléan said that the journalist had requested political asylum in Russia.

Since Macron was elected to his first presidential term in 2017, media reports began circulating that his wife Brigitte actually went by the name Jean-Michel and was a man. In December 2021, Rey published an article claiming to have been investigating the French First Lady for several years.

In January 2022, the French First Lady announced her intention to sue the spreaders of such rumors on the internet. She sued Rey and Delphine Gégousse, known online as the psychic Amandine Roy. However, in March 2023, the court dismissed Brigitte Macron's lawsuit for invasion of privacy and image rights. In doing so, along with the civil suit, Macron then filed a criminal one for public defamation.

In March last year, Macron for the first time publicly criticized the media for spreading false information that his wife was allegedly born a man.

On June 20, 2024, it was reported that a trial against the two women began in France. On September 12, a Paris court sentenced Rey and Jegousse to a fine of €13,500 for defamation.