Pyotr Pavlensky and Alexandra de Taddeo detained in France over politician sex tape leak

French authorities are holding Russian artist Pyotr Pavlensky and his partner Alexandra de Taddeo for questioning related to a leaked explicit video and text messages. The release forced Benjamin Griveaux, a member of Emmanuel Macron's La Republique en Marche party, to withdraw from the Paris mayoral race. De Taddeo was first taken into custody on Saturday after Griveaux filed an invasion of privacy complaint. Pavlensky, detained on separate charges, admitted to leaking the materials, telling AFP he aimed to expose Griveaux's hypocrisy regarding family values. He described this as the first revelation on a new 'political porn' website intended to uncover politicians' double lives. Pavlensky has a history of activist art, including nailing his scrotum to Red Square cobblestones in Moscow in 2013 to protest the Russian government, and setting fire to the Russian Federal Security Service doors in 2015. He has lived in France since 2017, where he sought asylum amid sexual assault allegations. On Sunday, France's Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn resigned and announced she would replace Griveaux as the LREM mayoral candidate. The incident occurred in France, with events unfolding over the weekend of 15-16 February 2020, as reported on 17 February 2020.