Editing Action Directe (section)

==Arrests==

In December 1981, AD member Lahouari Benchellal, known as Farid, was arrested for forging [[traveler's cheque]]s, which were an important income source for the organization, in [[Helsinki, Finland]]. He hanged himself while in the custody of the [[Finnish Security Intelligence Service]] in January 1982.<ref name="Farid">{{cite web |accessdate=2025-03-28 |website=Le Monde |title=La mort de " Farid ", l'autonome |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1982/01/14/la-mort-de-farid-l-autonome_2898256_1819218.html}}</ref> AD did not believe Benchellal killed himself, and they named a direct action group after him.<ref name="Farid"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Simola |first=Matti |title= Ratakatu 12 – Suojelupoliisi 1949–2009 |location=Helsinki |publisher=WSOY |pages=123–127 |isbn=9789510352434 |date= 2009 }}/</ref>

There is an ongoing campaign by some sections of the French far-left calling for the [[parole]] of the still imprisoned AD members, who consider themselves [[political prisoners]]. In December 2007, Jean-Marc Rouillan was allowed a state of "semi-liberty", able to leave prison for extended periods. In September 2008, a Parisian court called for the revocation of his status after he declared in an interview with ''[[L'Express (France)|L'Express]]'' that "I remain convinced that armed struggle is necessary at certain moments of the revolutionary process".<ref>{{Cite news|date=2008-10-01|title=Le parquet demande la révocation de la semi-liberté de Rouillan|work=[[Libération]]|url=http://www.liberation.fr/societe/0101119728-rouillan-la-lutte-armee-est-necessaire|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309145332/http://www.liberation.fr/societe/0101119728-rouillan-la-lutte-armee-est-necessaire|archive-date=2012-03-09|quote="Il faut clarifier les choses: le processus de lutte armée tel qu’il est né dans l’après-68, dans ce formidable élan d’émancipation, n’existe plus (...) Mais, en tant que communiste, je reste convaincu que la lutte armée est nécessaire à un moment du processus révolutionnaire." "Il faut clarifier les choses: le processus de lutte armée tel qu’il est né dans l’après-68, dans ce formidable élan d’émancipation, n’existe plus (...) Mais, en tant que communiste, je reste convaincu que la lutte armée est nécessaire à un moment du processus révolutionnaire."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/3119083/Terrorist-group-Action-Directe-founder-does-not-regret-murders.html|title=Terrorist group Action Directe founder 'does not regret murders'|last=Samuel|first=Henry|journal=Daily Telegraph|date=2008-10-01|access-date=2018-02-08|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235|archive-date=2018-02-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208123851/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/3119083/Terrorist-group-Action-Directe-founder-does-not-regret-murders.html|url-status=live}}</ref>