30 MORICE v. FRANCE JUDGMENT judgment. In addition, the status of the victim, the place and circumstances of his death, the diplomatic ramifications of the case, and the suspicions that the current President of the Republic of Djibouti might have been involved as the instigator, all showed that the case concerned a matter of general interest requiring strong protection of freedom of expression. Moreover, on 19 June 2007 the Paris public prosecutor had issued a press release stating that the theory of suicide had now been discounted in favour of a criminal explanation. That statement had been made at the request of the investigating judge under Article 11, paragraph 3, of the Code of Criminal Procedure (permitting the public disclosure of details of the case to avoid the dissemination of incomplete or inaccurate information, or to put an end to a breach of public order). The case was so sensitive that the investigation was now being handled by three investigating judges. 102. The applicant argued that the remarks regarding the shortcomings in the justice system, in the context of the lawyer’s duty to defend a client, could be deemed to merit even stronger protection. He denied going beyond the limits of permissible criticism: his comments concerned only the professional conduct of Judges M. and L.L., which was so crucial for the civil parties; the remarks had a sufficient factual basis which lay in two proven facts, firstly, the fact that the video-cassette in issue had not been transmitted to the new investigating judge with the rest of the case file and, secondly, the existence of the handwritten card from the prosecutor of Djibouti to Judge M.; moreover, the proceedings brought against the applicant and his colleague Mr L. de Caunes by Judges M. and L.L. for false accusation, following the letter sent by the lawyers to the Minister of Justice, had resulted in a discontinuance order, which had been upheld on appeal. 103. As to the accusation that he had shown personal animosity, the applicant rejected this, pointing out that only the content and subject of the impugned remarks should be taken into account, not any intentions that might be wrongly attributed to him. The applicant added that he was not responsible for the reference to the disciplinary proceedings pending against Judge M. and he noted that, in any event, Judge L.L. had also lodged a criminal complaint, without there being any suggestion of personal animosity towards that judge as well. The applicant also denied that any insults or abuse could be detected in the remarks published in Le Monde. Lastly, he submitted that he was merely defending his client’s position in public, keeping her interests in mind without going beyond the scope of his duty of defence. He was of the view, in that connection, that this could not have influenced the ministerial or judicial authorities and he moreover challenged the idea that legal action by a lawyer on behalf of his client should preclude any comments in the press where the case aroused public interest. He asserted that, on the contrary, a lawyer was entitled to decide freely on his defence strategy for the benefit of his client.