Racial Discrimination Investigation: Private Possession vs. Public Dissemination of Materials

In a criminal investigation concerning racial discrimination under Article 261bis of the Criminal Code, an initial order authorized searches and seizures at a suspect's residence and band premises for evidence, including CDs, hard drives, and related materials. The appellant argued that mere private possession of discriminatory material is not criminal and thus seizures are pointless. The court reasoned that while private possession is not punishable, the suspicion that the band distributed a CD with potentially discriminatory content via sales at concerts and online transactions raises the question of public dissemination, which *is* criminal under Article 261bis; therefore, the temporary seizure of the CDs and texts was necessary and permissible to clarify the nature and context of distribution.