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Revision as of 18:34, 25 June 2021 editCheep (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users3,775 editsm known as a French lawyer← Previous edit Revision as of 09:50, 7 July 2021 edit undoDelfield (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users691 edits Cleaning up the page: too much detail or lacking serious sources, NPOV, it is a "main courante" not a "plainte"Next edit →
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| name = Juan Branco | name = Juan Branco
| image =2019 - Centre Stage - Day 2 VJR21625 (49024215596).jpg | image =2019 - Centre Stage - Day 2 VJR21625 (49024215596).jpg
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| birth_place = ], ],<br>Spain | birth_place = ], ],<br>Spain
| nationality = French, Spanish | nationality = French, Spanish
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'''Juan Branco''' ({{IPA-es|ˈxwan ˈbɾaŋko}}, {{IPA-fr|bʁɑ̃ko|lang}}, {{IPA-pt|ˈbɾɐ̃ko|lang}}) is a French lawyer, writer and political activist. '''Juan Branco''' ({{IPA-es|ˈxwan ˈbɾaŋko}}, {{IPA-fr|bʁɑ̃ko|lang}}, {{IPA-pt|ˈbɾɐ̃ko|lang}}) is a French political activist, writer and lawyer.


He worked on the legal team of ] and has been an outspoken supporter of the ], some of which he also represented in court. In 2019 he authored a commercially successful book critical of French President ]. In early 2020 he gained further notoriety due to his involvement in the ]. He gained notoriety in 2009 with his book ''Crépuscule'', critical of French President ]. In early 2020, he was involved in the ]. He has been an supporter of the ].


== Early life and education == == Early life and education ==
Branco was born in ], near Málaga. He is the son of film producer ] and became a French citizen in 2010.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} Branco was born in 1989 in ], near Málaga. He is the son of film producer ].


He studied philosophy and law at the ]. He became politically active as a student, when he protested French copyright law ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crunchbase.com/person/juan-branco|title=Juan Branco {{!}} Crunchbase|website=Crunchbase|language=en|access-date=2018-06-18}}</ref> He went in in the ], a private high school in Paris usually.<ref>https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/juan-branco-le-radical-chic-qui-veut-la-peau-de-la-macronie_2061348.html</ref> He is said to have had a "golden childhood" in the ] neighboorhood of Paris, being acquainted to stars like ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/juan-branco-itineraire-d-un-enfant-gate-devenu-activiste-sans-scrupule-20200218|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref>
In 2016, he concluded his postgraduate studies, during which he focused on the ] ICC's case,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://success-stories.fr/juan-branco-lobbyiste-militant-liberte-expression/|title=Juan Branco, portrait d'un lobbyiste militant de la liberté d'expression|date=2016-06-28|work=Success Stories|access-date=2018-09-19|language=fr-FR}}</ref> and was awarded a ]. He continued his academic work as a visiting researcher at ] and ].{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} He went on to work as a senior research fellow at the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law from 2015 to 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mpi.lu/the-institute/senior-research-fellows/juan-branco/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-05-16 |archive-date=2016-05-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516184101/http://www.mpi.lu/the-institute/senior-research-fellows/juan-branco/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


He studied as undergraduate at ] and as graduate and PhD student at the ].<ref name="Tabet 20–23"/>
⚫ == Political activism ==
⚫ As a student, Branco actively supported centre-right former prime-minister ], a friend of his mother's.<ref name="Tabet 20–23">{{cite journal |date=March 2020 |title=Dans les réseaux de Juan Branco |last=Tabet |language=fr |journal=Le Parisien |issue=23487 |pages=20–23}}</ref>


In 2013, he assisted to a horse race in the desert at the invite of the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi.<ref>https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/juan-branco-le-radical-chic-qui-veut-la-peau-de-la-macronie_2061348.html</ref>
⚫ Afterwards he supported ] and then went on to participate in the campaign of future President ]. He worked several months for future French Minister of Culture and Communications ]. Filippetti later stated that he "demanded to be hired as her chief of staff at age 22", that he "completely lost it when he was refused the position" and told her that he recorded their conversations. She describes him as "dangerous, intelligent and skillful", as "megalomaniacal, a compulsive liar and very, very manipulative".<ref name="francetvinfo.fr">{{Cite web|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/des-grandes-ecoles-aux-gilets-jaunes-en-passant-par-wikileaks-qui-est-juan-branco-l-auteur-de-crepuscule-en-guerre-contre-macron_3421861.html|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref>


He wrote his thesis at the École normale supérieure in 8 months and this let him become a lawyer without having to pass the selective exam to enter in the school for lawyers.<ref>https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/des-grandes-ecoles-aux-gilets-jaunes-en-passant-par-wikileaks-qui-est-juan-branco-l-auteur-de-crepuscule-en-guerre-contre-macron_3421861.html</ref><ref>https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/juan-branco-un-tiers-maudit-deux-tiers-mondain-10-06-2021-2430404_23.php</ref>
⚫ Branco went on to join the left-wing populist party ]. He stood in the ] for ] where he placed fourth. His former running-mate stated that Branco "wanted to win a parliamentary seat and abandoned the party after the loss".<ref name="Tabet 20–23"/> After he was refused a sufficiently high spot on the electoral list of ] in the ] his support for the party ended and he called for an abstention in the election.<ref name="francetvinfo.fr"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Politique/Juan-Branco-l-avocat-qui-intrigue-1677637|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref>

⚫ == Political activity ==
⚫ As a student, Branco actively supported former right-wing Prime Minister ], a friend of his mother's.<ref name="Tabet 20–23">{{cite journal |date=March 2020 |title=Dans les réseaux de Juan Branco |last=Tabet |language=fr |journal=Le Parisien |issue=23487 |pages=20–23}}</ref>

Afterwards he supported ] and then went on to participate in the campaign of future President ] (]|Socialist Party). He worked several months for future French Minister of Culture and Communications ].

⚫ Branco then joined the left-wing populist party ]. He stood in the ] for ] where he placed fourth. His former running-mate stated that Branco "wanted to win a parliamentary seat and abandoned the party after the loss".<ref name="Tabet 20–23"/> After he was refused a sufficiently high spot on the electoral list of ] in the ] his support for the party ended and he called for an abstention in the election.<ref name="francetvinfo.fr"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Politique/Juan-Branco-l-avocat-qui-intrigue-1677637|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref>


He became a vocal supporter of the ], some of whose members he also represented in court,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/juan-branco-itineraire-d-un-enfant-gate-devenu-activiste-sans-scrupule-20200218|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref> and a critic of ] ] thereafter.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2019-05-07|title=Des grandes écoles aux "gilets jaunes" en passant par WikiLeaks : qui est Juan Branco, l'avocat proche de Piotr Pavlenski ?|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/des-grandes-ecoles-aux-gilets-jaunes-en-passant-par-wikileaks-qui-est-juan-branco-l-auteur-de-crepuscule-en-guerre-contre-macron_3421861.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Franceinfo|language=french}}</ref> He became a vocal supporter of the ], some of whose members he also represented in court,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/juan-branco-itineraire-d-un-enfant-gate-devenu-activiste-sans-scrupule-20200218|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref> and a critic of ] ] thereafter.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2019-05-07|title=Des grandes écoles aux "gilets jaunes" en passant par WikiLeaks : qui est Juan Branco, l'avocat proche de Piotr Pavlenski ?|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/des-grandes-ecoles-aux-gilets-jaunes-en-passant-par-wikileaks-qui-est-juan-branco-l-auteur-de-crepuscule-en-guerre-contre-macron_3421861.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-30|website=Franceinfo|language=french}}</ref>


In 2018 he ] the homosexuality of his former class-mate ] on Twitter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lincorrect.org/nous-serons-probablement-demain-lun-et-lautre-des-ennemis-principiels-juan-branco/|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref> In 2018 he ] the homosexuality of his former class-mate and government spokesman ] on Twitter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lincorrect.org/nous-serons-probablement-demain-lun-et-lautre-des-ennemis-principiels-juan-branco/|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref>


== Legal Work == === ''Crépuscule'' ===
⚫ Branco's book "Crépuscule", in which he criticized the French president ], was published in 2019. It was commercially successful but received mostly negative reviews in the French press<ref>https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/culture-idees/250419/crepuscule-juan-branco-decouvre-la-lune?onglet=full</ref><ref>https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/avis-critique/avis-critique-emission-du-samedi-11-mai-2019</ref><ref>http://www.slate.fr/story/176217/livre-crepuscule-juan-branco-fact-checking-pouvoir-emmanuel-macron-politique-medias</ref><ref>https://www.marianne.net/culture/crepuscule-juan-branco-livre-critique</ref><ref>https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/critique-des-medias-attaques-sur-macron-on-a-lu-crepuscule-le-livre-censure-de-juan-branco_3403909.html</ref><ref>https://www.letemps.ch/opinions/peur-revolutionnaire-juan-branco</ref>
⚫ He worked as a legal adviser to ] and ], trying to help obtain asylum for Assange in France.<ref></ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8149780/bio|title=Juan Branco|publisher=IMDb|access-date=2018-06-18}}</ref>


== Legal advice and representations ==
⚫ Branco has previously claimed that he worked as a "special assistant" to the ]. Asked for a clarification by the French journal ] the Court responded that Branco ""claims to have been the assistant of the Prosecutor (..) while in reality he was an intern (...) and then worked at the OTP Public Information Unit".<ref>https://www.gqmagazine.fr/pop-culture/article/les-vies-revees-de-juan-branco</ref>
⚫ He was in 2015 the legal advisor by ] and met with ].<ref></ref><ref>https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/affaire-griveaux-ce-qu-il-faut-savoir-sur-juan-branco-20200217</ref>


Branco passed the bar in 2017, and, in 2019, have had 3 clients in two years, including his father, and was receiving ] assistance ('']'') during that time.<ref>https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/affaire-griveaux-ce-qu-il-faut-savoir-sur-juan-branco-20200217</ref><ref>https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/les-reponses-de-l-express-a-juan-branco_2074447.html</ref>
⚫ In 2016 he solicited ], the only surviving member of the group directly involved in ] (in which 130 people were killed and 683 others were injured), proposing in a letter to help in his legal defense and claiming to be representing ].<ref name="Abdeslam">{{cite web|title=Quand Juan Branco écrivait à Salah Abdeslam|url=https://www.valeursactuelles.com/societe/exclusif-quand-juan-branco-ecrivait-salah-abdeslam-116341|website=valeursactuelles.com|date=22 February 2020|access-date=22 February 2020|publication-date=}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Juan Branco a écrit une lettre à Salah Abdeslam en 2016 pour le conseiller|url=https://www.rtl.fr/actu/justice-faits-divers/juan-branco-l-avocat-a-ecrit-une-lettre-a-salah-abdeslam-pour-le-conseiller-7800142425|website=rtl.fr|date=22 February 2020|access-date=23 February 2020|publication-date=}}.</ref> As he was not admitted to the bar and therefore not legally permitted to practice law at the time, one of the French lawyers representing Abdeslam characterized Brancos actions as attempted fraud.<ref>{{cite web|title="C'est un exercice illégal" : quand il sollicite le terroriste Abdeslam, Juan Branco... n'est pas encore avocat|url=https://www.marianne.net/societe/c-est-un-exercice-illegal-quand-il-sollicite-le-terroriste-abdeslam-juan-branco-n-est-pas?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1582648688|website=marianne.net|date=25 February 2020|publication-date=}}.</ref>


After his admission to the Bar of Paris, he represented ] beginning in 2017. His work with Mélenchon ended in 2018 for unknown reasons. He has also represented his father ] against ] in '']'' case.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.screendaily.com/paris-appeals-court-rules-in-favour-of-paulo-branco-on-the-man-who-killed-don-quixote/5130200.article|title=Paris appeals court rules in favour of Paulo Branco on 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote'|work=Screen|access-date=2018-06-18|language=en}}</ref> He has represented his father ] against ] in '']'' case.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.screendaily.com/paris-appeals-court-rules-in-favour-of-paulo-branco-on-the-man-who-killed-don-quixote/5130200.article|title=Paris appeals court rules in favour of Paulo Branco on 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote'|work=Screen|access-date=2018-06-18|language=en}}</ref>


In 2021, he represented one of the defendants in the ] case.<ref>https://www.liberation.fr/politique/elections/juan-branco-chaos-debout-20210609_WUSUC4V6GFHRTKKD5BTFYK6FTA/</ref>
He briefly worked as an independent expert for the ] in 2018, where he has tasked with developing a strategy for investigations conducted by the Special Criminal Court in the Central African Republic.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://fr.africanews.com/2018/05/31/centrafrique-la-minusca-expulse-un-expert-francais-qui-l-accuse-de-crimes}}</ref> After he accused peacekeeping forces of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (]) of having been involved in a massacre in the city of ] - an accusation denied by MINUSCA - he was expelled from the country and fired by the UN less than a week after his mission started.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-centralafrica-un/un-fires-central-africa-legal-adviser-who-accused-peacekeepers-of-massacre-idUSKCN1IW265}}</ref>


== Griveaux affair == === Griveaux affair ===
In February 2020 it was reported that he was representing the Russian activist ] both before and after the latter leaked sexually explicit videos depicting ], then candidate in the mayoral elections for Paris. Multiple sources claim that Juan Branco was himself involved in the leak,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/politique/videos-intimes-de-griveaux-le-role-trouble-de-juan-branco-14-02-2020-2362721_20.php|title=Vidéos intimes de Griveaux : le rôle trouble de Juan Branco|website=lepoint.fr|language=fr|access-date=2020-02-29}}</ref> a criminal offense under French law.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/france-shrugs-at-sex-scandals-but-after-a-leaked-video-this-politician-bowed-out/2020/02/14/263256c0-4f0f-11ea-967b-e074d302c7d4_story.html|title=France shrugs at sex scandals. But after a leaked video, this politician bowed out. |website=washingtonpost.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-29}}</ref> This was denied by Branco. In February 2020 it was reported that he was representing the Russian activist ] both before and after the latter leaked sexually explicit videos depicting ], then candidate in the mayoral elections for Paris. Multiple sources claim that Juan Branco was himself involved in the leak,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/politique/videos-intimes-de-griveaux-le-role-trouble-de-juan-branco-14-02-2020-2362721_20.php|title=Vidéos intimes de Griveaux : le rôle trouble de Juan Branco|website=lepoint.fr|language=fr|access-date=2020-02-29}}</ref> a criminal offense under French law.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/france-shrugs-at-sex-scandals-but-after-a-leaked-video-this-politician-bowed-out/2020/02/14/263256c0-4f0f-11ea-967b-e074d302c7d4_story.html|title=France shrugs at sex scandals. But after a leaked video, this politician bowed out. |website=washingtonpost.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-29}}</ref> This was denied by Branco.


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After Branco was hired by Pavlensky as his defense attorney, the chairman of the French bar association opened an inquiry into the appropriateness of the defense in light of Branco's involvement in the affair. No conflict of interest was found but Branco was advised to step down as Pavlensky's defense attorney nonetheless due to a "lack of distance".<ref>{{cite web|title=Le bâtonnier de Paris a demandé à Branco de ne pas défendre Pavlenski|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/justice/affaire-griveaux-le-batonnier-de-paris-demande-a-branco-de-ne-pas-defendre-pavlenski-19-02-2020-2363332_2386.php|website=lepoint.fr|language=fr|date=2020-02-19|access-date=2020-03-07|publication-date=}}</ref> Branco originally followed the advice but later reverted his decision and joined the defense of Pavlensky once more.<ref>{{cite web|title=Branco redevient avocat de Pavlenski et demande une expertise psychiatrique de Griveaux|url=https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/societe/justice/branco-redevient-avocat-de-pavlenski-et-demande-une-expertise-psychiatrique-de-griveaux_2120123.html|website=LExpress.fr|language=fr|date=2020-03-05|access-date=2020-03-05|publication-date=}}</ref> Branco went on to request a psychological evaluation of Griveaux, the victim of the alleged crime, whose defense called the request "grotesque and hateful". The request was denied by the examining magistrate as it was deemed "not useful for the establishment of the truth".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/justice/griveaux-la-justice-refuse-l-expertise-psychiatrique-demandee-par-branco-11-03-2020-2366834_2386.php#xtmc=branco&xtnp=1&xtcr=4|website=LePoint.fr|language=fr|date=2020-03-12|access-date=2020-04-01}}</ref> After Branco was hired by Pavlensky as his defense attorney, the chairman of the French bar association opened an inquiry into the appropriateness of the defense in light of Branco's involvement in the affair. No conflict of interest was found but Branco was advised to step down as Pavlensky's defense attorney nonetheless due to a "lack of distance".<ref>{{cite web|title=Le bâtonnier de Paris a demandé à Branco de ne pas défendre Pavlenski|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/justice/affaire-griveaux-le-batonnier-de-paris-demande-a-branco-de-ne-pas-defendre-pavlenski-19-02-2020-2363332_2386.php|website=lepoint.fr|language=fr|date=2020-02-19|access-date=2020-03-07|publication-date=}}</ref> Branco originally followed the advice but later reverted his decision and joined the defense of Pavlensky once more.<ref>{{cite web|title=Branco redevient avocat de Pavlenski et demande une expertise psychiatrique de Griveaux|url=https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/societe/justice/branco-redevient-avocat-de-pavlenski-et-demande-une-expertise-psychiatrique-de-griveaux_2120123.html|website=LExpress.fr|language=fr|date=2020-03-05|access-date=2020-03-05|publication-date=}}</ref> Branco went on to request a psychological evaluation of Griveaux, the victim of the alleged crime, whose defense called the request "grotesque and hateful". The request was denied by the examining magistrate as it was deemed "not useful for the establishment of the truth".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lepoint.fr/justice/griveaux-la-justice-refuse-l-expertise-psychiatrique-demandee-par-branco-11-03-2020-2366834_2386.php#xtmc=branco&xtnp=1&xtcr=4|website=LePoint.fr|language=fr|date=2020-03-12|access-date=2020-04-01}}</ref>


In October 2020 it was reported that disciplinary proceedings are being pursued against Branco by the Paris Bar Association following his involvement in the affair.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nouvelobs.com/societe/20201008.OBS34478/l-ordre-des-avocats-lance-des-poursuites-disciplinaires-contre-juan-branco.html|website=nouvelobs.com|language=fr|date=2020-10-08|access-date=2020-12-17}}</ref> In October 2020 it was reported that disciplinary proceedings are being pursued against Branco by the Paris Bar Association following his involvement in the affair.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nouvelobs.com/societe/20201008.OBS34478/l-ordre-des-avocats-lance-des-poursuites-disciplinaires-contre-juan-branco.html|website=nouvelobs.com|language=fr|date=2020-10-08|access-date=2020-12-17}}</ref>

== Rape accusation ==
== Controversial claims ==
⚫ Branco was accused of drug rape by a woman in April 2021<ref>{{cite web |title=L’avocat Juan Branco visé par une enquête pour viol |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2021/04/30/l-avocat-juan-branco-vise-par-une-enquete-pour-viol_6078680_3224.html |website=Le Monde |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref> and taken into police custody on 1st June.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Décugis |first1=Jean-Michel |title=Visé par une enquête pour viol, l’avocat Juan Branco placé en garde à vue |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/vise-par-une-enquete-pour-viol-lavocat-juan-branco-place-en-garde-a-vue-01-06-2021-EGEJ347CFZBKRCXVOID5IQJBPU.php |website=Le Parisien |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref>

⚫ Branco claimed to have been chief of staff of the French Minister of Culture and Communications ]<ref>https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/les-reponses-de-l-express-a-juan-branco_2074447.html</ref>, but Filippetti denied it. She later stated that he "demanded to be hired as her chief of staff at age 22", that he "completely lost it when he was refused the position" and told her that he recorded their conversations. She describes him as "dangerous, intelligent and skillful", as "megalomaniacal, a compulsive liar and very, very manipulative".<ref name="francetvinfo.fr">{{Cite web|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/des-grandes-ecoles-aux-gilets-jaunes-en-passant-par-wikileaks-qui-est-juan-branco-l-auteur-de-crepuscule-en-guerre-contre-macron_3421861.html|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-08}}</ref>

⚫ In 2016 he solicited ], the only surviving member of the group directly involved in ] (in which 130 people were killed and 683 others were injured), proposing in a letter to help in his legal defense and claiming to be representing ].<ref name="Abdeslam">{{cite web|title=Quand Juan Branco écrivait à Salah Abdeslam|url=https://www.valeursactuelles.com/societe/exclusif-quand-juan-branco-ecrivait-salah-abdeslam-116341|website=valeursactuelles.com|date=22 February 2020|access-date=22 February 2020|publication-date=}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Juan Branco a écrit une lettre à Salah Abdeslam en 2016 pour le conseiller|url=https://www.rtl.fr/actu/justice-faits-divers/juan-branco-l-avocat-a-ecrit-une-lettre-a-salah-abdeslam-pour-le-conseiller-7800142425|website=rtl.fr|date=22 February 2020|access-date=23 February 2020|publication-date=}}.</ref> As he was not admitted to the bar and therefore not legally permitted to practice law at the time, one of the French lawyers representing Abdeslam characterized Brancos actions as attempted fraud.<ref>{{cite web|title="C'est un exercice illégal" : quand il sollicite le terroriste Abdeslam, Juan Branco... n'est pas encore avocat|url=https://www.marianne.net/societe/c-est-un-exercice-illegal-quand-il-sollicite-le-terroriste-abdeslam-juan-branco-n-est-pas?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1582648688|website=marianne.net|date=25 February 2020|publication-date=}}.</ref>

In 2018, ''L'Express'' stated that Branco is making false statements on his CV and elsewhere. After Branco defended himself from this accusation, L'Express provided additional information to prove their claims. Branco claimed to have been a lecturer at the École normale supérieure, but the school told ''L'Express'' that it refers to an exercise for students that every student of the school do. He also claimed "never having created a ]", but ''L'Express'' provided captures of the blog he co-administered during his high-school years. The blog invited the pupils to rate the girls in the school according to their physique and use the word "blondasse" ("blondie").<ref>https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/les-reponses-de-l-express-a-juan-branco_2074447.html</ref>

⚫ Branco has previously claimed that he worked as a "special assistant" to the ]. Asked for a clarification by the French journal ''GQ France'', the Court responded that Branco ""claims to have been the assistant of the Prosecutor (..) while in reality he was an intern (...) and then worked at the OTP Public Information Unit".<ref>https://www.gqmagazine.fr/pop-culture/article/les-vies-revees-de-juan-branco</ref>


In 2018, he accused peacekeeping forces of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (]) of having been involved in a massacre in the city of ] - an accusation denied by MINUSCA - he was expelled from the country.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-centralafrica-un/un-fires-central-africa-legal-adviser-who-accused-peacekeepers-of-massacre-idUSKCN1IW265}}</ref> He had been tasked as an independent expert for the ] with developing a strategy for investigations conducted by the Special Criminal Court in the Central African Republic. He was fired by the UN less than a week after his mission started. <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://fr.africanews.com/2018/05/31/centrafrique-la-minusca-expulse-un-expert-francais-qui-l-accuse-de-crimes}}</ref>
== Writer ==
Juan Branco wrote multiple articles for '']'' and '']''.<ref name=":0" />


== Private life ==
⚫ Branco's book "Crépuscule", a pamphlet in which he criticized the French president, was published in 2019. It was commercially successful<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sfrpresse.sfr.fr/article/835b5ec0-b60e-4787-8069-4c22e84c082a|title=Juan Branco et Maxime Nicolle à Lisbonne|website=sfrpresse.sfr.fr|language=fr|access-date=2020-03-10}}</ref> but received mostly negative reviews in the French press.<ref>https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/culture-idees/250419/crepuscule-juan-branco-decouvre-la-lune?onglet=full</ref><ref>https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/avis-critique/avis-critique-emission-du-samedi-11-mai-2019</ref><ref>http://www.slate.fr/story/176217/livre-crepuscule-juan-branco-fact-checking-pouvoir-emmanuel-macron-politique-medias</ref><ref>https://www.marianne.net/culture/crepuscule-juan-branco-livre-critique</ref><ref>https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/critique-des-medias-attaques-sur-macron-on-a-lu-crepuscule-le-livre-censure-de-juan-branco_3403909.html</ref><ref>https://www.letemps.ch/opinions/peur-revolutionnaire-juan-branco</ref>
⚫ Branco was accused of rape in April 2021<ref>{{cite web |title=L’avocat Juan Branco visé par une enquête pour viol |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2021/04/30/l-avocat-juan-branco-vise-par-une-enquete-pour-viol_6078680_3224.html |website=Le Monde |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref> and taken into police custody on 1st June.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Décugis |first1=Jean-Michel |title=Visé par une enquête pour viol, l’avocat Juan Branco placé en garde à vue |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/vise-par-une-enquete-pour-viol-lavocat-juan-branco-place-en-garde-a-vue-01-06-2021-EGEJ347CFZBKRCXVOID5IQJBPU.php |website=Le Parisien |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref> The woman said that every step was consensual, stayed over during the night and did not asked herself for a prosecution.<ref>https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/accusations-de-viol-juan-branco-sorti-d-une-garde-a-vue-abusive-01-06-2021-2429208_23.php</ref>


== Self-promotion on Misplaced Pages == == Self-promotion on Misplaced Pages ==

Revision as of 09:50, 7 July 2021

French-Spanish lawyer, writer and political activist
Juan Branco
Born1989
Estepona, Andalusia,
Spain
NationalityFrench, Spanish
EducationÉcole normale supérieure (Paris)
OccupationLawyer
Parents

Juan Branco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxwan ˈbɾaŋko], French: [bʁɑ̃ko], Portuguese: [ˈbɾɐ̃ko]) is a French political activist, writer and lawyer.

He gained notoriety in 2009 with his book Crépuscule, critical of French President Emmanuel Macron. In early 2020, he was involved in the Griveaux affair. He has been an supporter of the Yellow vests movement.

Early life and education

Branco was born in 1989 in Estepona, near Málaga. He is the son of film producer Paulo Branco.

He went in in the École alsacienne, a private high school in Paris usually. He is said to have had a "golden childhood" in the Saint-Germain-des-Près neighboorhood of Paris, being acquainted to stars like Catherine Deneuve.

He studied as undergraduate at Sciences Po and as graduate and PhD student at the École normale supérieure.

In 2013, he assisted to a horse race in the desert at the invite of the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi.

He wrote his thesis at the École normale supérieure in 8 months and this let him become a lawyer without having to pass the selective exam to enter in the school for lawyers.

Political activity

As a student, Branco actively supported former right-wing Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, a friend of his mother's.

Afterwards he supported The Greens (France) and then went on to participate in the campaign of future President François Hollande (Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party). He worked several months for future French Minister of Culture and Communications Aurélie Filippetti.

Branco then joined the left-wing populist party La France Insoumise. He stood in the 2017 French legislative election for Seine-Saint-Denis's 12th constituency where he placed fourth. His former running-mate stated that Branco "wanted to win a parliamentary seat and abandoned the party after the loss". After he was refused a sufficiently high spot on the electoral list of La France Insoumise in the 2019 European Parliament election in France his support for the party ended and he called for an abstention in the election.

He became a vocal supporter of the Yellow vests movement, some of whose members he also represented in court, and a critic of President of France Emmanuel Macron thereafter.

In 2018 he outed the homosexuality of his former class-mate and government spokesman Gabriel Attal on Twitter.

Crépuscule

Branco's book "Crépuscule", in which he criticized the French president Emmanuel Macron, was published in 2019. It was commercially successful but received mostly negative reviews in the French press

Legal advice and representations

He was in 2015 the legal advisor by WikiLeaks and met with Julian Assange.

Branco passed the bar in 2017, and, in 2019, have had 3 clients in two years, including his father, and was receiving welfare assistance (Revenu de solidarité active) during that time.

He has represented his father Paulo Branco against Terry Gilliam in The Man Who Killed Don Quixote case.

In 2021, he represented one of the defendants in the Mila case.

Griveaux affair

In February 2020 it was reported that he was representing the Russian activist Petr Pavlensky both before and after the latter leaked sexually explicit videos depicting Benjamin Griveaux, then candidate in the mayoral elections for Paris. Multiple sources claim that Juan Branco was himself involved in the leak, a criminal offense under French law. This was denied by Branco.

Pavlensky was arrested on 14 February 2020 for stabbing two people during a New Year's Eve party organized by Branco and his girlfriend in a Paris flat owned by the latters' parents.

After Branco was hired by Pavlensky as his defense attorney, the chairman of the French bar association opened an inquiry into the appropriateness of the defense in light of Branco's involvement in the affair. No conflict of interest was found but Branco was advised to step down as Pavlensky's defense attorney nonetheless due to a "lack of distance". Branco originally followed the advice but later reverted his decision and joined the defense of Pavlensky once more. Branco went on to request a psychological evaluation of Griveaux, the victim of the alleged crime, whose defense called the request "grotesque and hateful". The request was denied by the examining magistrate as it was deemed "not useful for the establishment of the truth".

In October 2020 it was reported that disciplinary proceedings are being pursued against Branco by the Paris Bar Association following his involvement in the affair.

Controversial claims

Branco claimed to have been chief of staff of the French Minister of Culture and Communications Aurélie Filippetti, but Filippetti denied it. She later stated that he "demanded to be hired as her chief of staff at age 22", that he "completely lost it when he was refused the position" and told her that he recorded their conversations. She describes him as "dangerous, intelligent and skillful", as "megalomaniacal, a compulsive liar and very, very manipulative".

In 2016 he solicited Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving member of the group directly involved in the attacks in Paris on 13 November 2015 (in which 130 people were killed and 683 others were injured), proposing in a letter to help in his legal defense and claiming to be representing Julian Assange. As he was not admitted to the bar and therefore not legally permitted to practice law at the time, one of the French lawyers representing Abdeslam characterized Brancos actions as attempted fraud.

In 2018, L'Express stated that Branco is making false statements on his CV and elsewhere. After Branco defended himself from this accusation, L'Express provided additional information to prove their claims. Branco claimed to have been a lecturer at the École normale supérieure, but the school told L'Express that it refers to an exercise for students that every student of the school do. He also claimed "never having created a Skyblog", but L'Express provided captures of the blog he co-administered during his high-school years. The blog invited the pupils to rate the girls in the school according to their physique and use the word "blondasse" ("blondie").

Branco has previously claimed that he worked as a "special assistant" to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Asked for a clarification by the French journal GQ France, the Court responded that Branco ""claims to have been the assistant of the Prosecutor (..) while in reality he was an intern (...) and then worked at the OTP Public Information Unit".

In 2018, he accused peacekeeping forces of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) of having been involved in a massacre in the city of Bangui - an accusation denied by MINUSCA - he was expelled from the country. He had been tasked as an independent expert for the United Nations with developing a strategy for investigations conducted by the Special Criminal Court in the Central African Republic. He was fired by the UN less than a week after his mission started.

Private life

Branco was accused of rape in April 2021 and taken into police custody on 1st June. The woman said that every step was consensual, stayed over during the night and did not asked herself for a prosecution.

Self-promotion on Misplaced Pages

Juan Branco has been editing his own Misplaced Pages pages for many years, attempting to embellish his biography. He makes his edits under multiple identities, using what are known as sockpuppets. He has also edited articles of others to "settle accounts" by portraying them in a negative light.

He once wrote a threatening letter to the employer of another Misplaced Pages editor, pretending to be a "Misplaced Pages administrator" named "Addas Karadas" and threatening legal action.

Bibliography

References

  1. https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/juan-branco-le-radical-chic-qui-veut-la-peau-de-la-macronie_2061348.html
  2. (in French) https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/juan-branco-itineraire-d-un-enfant-gate-devenu-activiste-sans-scrupule-20200218. Retrieved 2020-03-08. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ Tabet (March 2020). "Dans les réseaux de Juan Branco". Le Parisien (in French) (23487): 20–23.
  4. https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/juan-branco-le-radical-chic-qui-veut-la-peau-de-la-macronie_2061348.html
  5. https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/des-grandes-ecoles-aux-gilets-jaunes-en-passant-par-wikileaks-qui-est-juan-branco-l-auteur-de-crepuscule-en-guerre-contre-macron_3421861.html
  6. https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/juan-branco-un-tiers-maudit-deux-tiers-mondain-10-06-2021-2430404_23.php
  7. ^ (in French) https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/des-grandes-ecoles-aux-gilets-jaunes-en-passant-par-wikileaks-qui-est-juan-branco-l-auteur-de-crepuscule-en-guerre-contre-macron_3421861.html. Retrieved 2020-03-08. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. (in French) https://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Politique/Juan-Branco-l-avocat-qui-intrigue-1677637. Retrieved 2020-03-08. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. (in French) https://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/juan-branco-itineraire-d-un-enfant-gate-devenu-activiste-sans-scrupule-20200218. Retrieved 2020-03-08. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. "Des grandes écoles aux "gilets jaunes" en passant par WikiLeaks : qui est Juan Branco, l'avocat proche de Piotr Pavlenski ?". Franceinfo (in French). 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2020-06-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. (in French) https://lincorrect.org/nous-serons-probablement-demain-lun-et-lautre-des-ennemis-principiels-juan-branco/. Retrieved 2020-03-08. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/culture-idees/250419/crepuscule-juan-branco-decouvre-la-lune?onglet=full
  13. https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/avis-critique/avis-critique-emission-du-samedi-11-mai-2019
  14. http://www.slate.fr/story/176217/livre-crepuscule-juan-branco-fact-checking-pouvoir-emmanuel-macron-politique-medias
  15. https://www.marianne.net/culture/crepuscule-juan-branco-livre-critique
  16. https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/critique-des-medias-attaques-sur-macron-on-a-lu-crepuscule-le-livre-censure-de-juan-branco_3403909.html
  17. https://www.letemps.ch/opinions/peur-revolutionnaire-juan-branco
  18. 2015 NSA Espionnage revelations
  19. https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/affaire-griveaux-ce-qu-il-faut-savoir-sur-juan-branco-20200217
  20. https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/affaire-griveaux-ce-qu-il-faut-savoir-sur-juan-branco-20200217
  21. https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/les-reponses-de-l-express-a-juan-branco_2074447.html
  22. "Paris appeals court rules in favour of Paulo Branco on 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote'". Screen. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  23. https://www.liberation.fr/politique/elections/juan-branco-chaos-debout-20210609_WUSUC4V6GFHRTKKD5BTFYK6FTA/
  24. "Vidéos intimes de Griveaux : le rôle trouble de Juan Branco". lepoint.fr (in French). Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  25. "France shrugs at sex scandals. But after a leaked video, this politician bowed out". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  26. http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/piotr-pavlenski-dans-les-coulisses-de-sa-soiree-du-31-decembre-2019-29-02-2020-8269833.php
  27. "Le bâtonnier de Paris a demandé à Branco de ne pas défendre Pavlenski". lepoint.fr (in French). 2020-02-19. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
  28. "Branco redevient avocat de Pavlenski et demande une expertise psychiatrique de Griveaux". LExpress.fr (in French). 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  29. LePoint.fr (in French). 2020-03-12 https://www.lepoint.fr/justice/griveaux-la-justice-refuse-l-expertise-psychiatrique-demandee-par-branco-11-03-2020-2366834_2386.php#xtmc=branco&xtnp=1&xtcr=4. Retrieved 2020-04-01. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  30. nouvelobs.com (in French). 2020-10-08 https://www.nouvelobs.com/societe/20201008.OBS34478/l-ordre-des-avocats-lance-des-poursuites-disciplinaires-contre-juan-branco.html. Retrieved 2020-12-17. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/les-reponses-de-l-express-a-juan-branco_2074447.html
  32. "Quand Juan Branco écrivait à Salah Abdeslam". valeursactuelles.com. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020..
  33. "Juan Branco a écrit une lettre à Salah Abdeslam en 2016 pour le conseiller". rtl.fr. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020..
  34. ""C'est un exercice illégal" : quand il sollicite le terroriste Abdeslam, Juan Branco... n'est pas encore avocat". marianne.net. 25 February 2020..
  35. https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/les-reponses-de-l-express-a-juan-branco_2074447.html
  36. https://www.gqmagazine.fr/pop-culture/article/les-vies-revees-de-juan-branco
  37. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-centralafrica-un/un-fires-central-africa-legal-adviser-who-accused-peacekeepers-of-massacre-idUSKCN1IW265. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  38. https://fr.africanews.com/2018/05/31/centrafrique-la-minusca-expulse-un-expert-francais-qui-l-accuse-de-crimes. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  39. "L'avocat Juan Branco visé par une enquête pour viol". Le Monde. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  40. Décugis, Jean-Michel. "Visé par une enquête pour viol, l'avocat Juan Branco placé en garde à vue". Le Parisien. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  41. https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/accusations-de-viol-juan-branco-sorti-d-une-garde-a-vue-abusive-01-06-2021-2429208_23.php
  42. "Sur Wikipédia, les vies rêvées de Juan Branco".
  43. https://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Politique/Juan-Branco-l-avocat-qui-intrigue-1677637. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  44. Library of the Congress
  45. BNF reference
  46. Editorial description of L'ordre et le monde
  47. "Editorial description". 2020-02-25.

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