backKing & Spalding is representing Didier François, a French war journalist who was abducted while reporting in Syria, in a landmark trial in the Paris courts against the five men accused of his abduction. François was taken alongside three other French nationals in 2013 as he reported on the civil war in Syria by IS Group. The journalists were ultimately held captive for 10 months, eventually being released in April 2014. The milestone case was launched by French prosecutors on 17 February, 2025 in which five men were charged with the kidnappings and torture of François and the other hostages. The trial is due to run for five weeks.
King & Spalding Paris partner Jean Tamalet and counsel Aurélie Chazottes have represented François for the past eleven years, since his release, and continue to advise him during the trial.