France opens war crime investigation after AFP journalist dies in Ukraine
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AFP journalist Arman Soldin died when he and his AFP colleagues came under fire by Grad rockets while they were near Chasiv Yar in the Donbas region.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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PARIS – The French judiciary has launched a war crime investigation into the death of AFP reporter Arman Soldin, who was killed in Ukraine, anti-terror prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Mr Soldin, 32, died when he and his AFP colleagues came under fire
The French probe will be handled by the OCLCH, or Central Office for Combating Core International Crimes and Hate Crimes, an investigating unit specialising in crimes against humanity and hate crimes, and will seek to determine the exact circumstances of Mr Soldin’s death, the prosecutors said.
His death brings to at least 11 the number of journalists, fixers or drivers for media teams killed since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago, according to advocacy groups.
Tributes pour in
Messages of grief poured in on Wednesday, paying tribute to Mr Soldin’s bravery in covering Europe’s worst conflict since World War II.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Wednesday paid tribute to the reporter’s courage and described his work as essential to understanding the facts around the war in Ukraine.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Arman was a talented and courageous journalist and his death is obviously devastating for those who knew him.”
“Journalism continues to shine a light in the darkness of this war, and Arman’s work was vital to that.”
Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko blamed Russia for Mr Soldin’s death and said those responsible must be held accountable.
“Our condolences to Arman’s family and friends, and gratitude for his courage,” he said in a post on social media.
Mr Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk region where Bakhmut lies and which has been partially controlled by Kremlin-backed forces for years, offered his condolences to Mr Soldin’s friends and family.
‘Tell the truth’
“I thank everyone who – risking their own lives – continues to tell the truth about our war,” Mr Kyrylenko said.
Mr Soldin, a French citizen born in Bosnia, once said he was drawn to telling stories of people displaced by fighting, stemming from his family’s experience fleeing conflict.
The Bosnian member of the country’s tripartite presidency, Mr Denis Becirovic, condemned Mr Soldin’s killing, describing his death as a great loss and a painful reminder of the risks undertaken by front-line journalists.
“At the cost of his own safety, he had been travelling to the front lines since day one, doing his job as a journalist, establishing the facts and showing images of the destruction and suffering in Ukraine,” Mr Becirovic said.
AFP’s global news director Phil Chetwynd said on Wednesday that “we are all incredibly shocked at AFP this morning” and that news of Mr Soldin’s death was “incredibly painful”.
“He’s someone who understood the risks but really wanted to tell the story, in particular the human story of what was happening on the ground in Ukraine,” he added.
“It was the commitment to that story that took him back to the front again and again and again.”
Apart from journalism, Mr Soldin was also passionate about football, and as a teenager, he played for Stade Rennais between 2006 and 2008.
The Rennes-based football club said it had learnt of his passing “with great sadness”.
‘Bravery’
The Commission de la Carte d’Identite des Journalistes Professionnels (CCIJP), a French organisation for media professionals, said it was “extremely saddened” to hear of Mr Soldin’s death.
He is the third French reporter to lose his life since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, the CCIJP said.
A tribute to AFP video journalist Arman Soldin among tributes to other journalists, at St Bride’s Church in central London.
PHOTO: AFP
Unesco director-general Audrey Azoulay denounced Mr Soldin’s killing and urged parties in the conflict to adhere to international law.
“I condemn the attack that killed video journalist Arman Soldin and call for an investigation to identify the circumstances of his death,” she said.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed Mr Soldin on Twitter, applauding his bravery.
In Washington, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the world was indebted to the journalists who lost their lives covering the conflict.
The Kremlin told reporters on Wednesday it was saddened to hear reports of Mr Soldin’s killing but that the circumstances of his death remained unclear.
“We need to understand the circumstances of the death of this journalist,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. AFP
