Current:Home > MarketsFrance launches war crime investigation after reporter Arman Soldin killed in Ukraine-LoTradeCoin
France launches war crime investigation after reporter Arman Soldin killed in Ukraine
View Date:2024-12-24 09:47:14
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 Wednesday.
Soldin, 32, died when he and his AFP colleagues came under fire by Grad rockets on Tuesday while they were with Ukrainian troops near Chasiv Yar, in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. According to the AFP, other reporters with Soldin were not injured in the attack.
The French probe will be handled by the OCLCH, an investigating unit specializing in crimes against humanity and hate crimes, and will seek to determine the exact circumstances of 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.
This is the 7th investigation for war crimes in Ukraine involving French nationals since Feb 2022, CBS News' Elaine Cobbe reports. Two of them relate to attacks on journalists.
Soldin was a French national born in Sarajevo who began working for the AFP in 2015, first as an intern in the agency's Rome bureau before being hired in London. He was one of the first AFP journalists to be sent to Ukraine after Russia invaded the country in Feb. 2022. He had been living in Ukraine since Sept. 2022 and traveled regularly to the war's front lines.
The day before he died, Soldin tweeted a video of doctors in Ukraine working to stabilize an injured soldier. Other videos shared by Soldin show him on the front lines in the city of Bakhmut while it faced heavy shelling and reporting on the explosion of a vital bridge in the city.
A week ago, an animal rescue group praised Soldin and his team for helping rescue an injured hedgehog. Soldin and his team reportedly cared for the animal before setting it free. In a thread, Soldin described the animal's story as "unusually cute" and said that the hedgehog had been found in Chasiv Yar, which he called the "worst place possible." That area is where Soldin would later be killed.
Colleagues and officials have memorialized Soldin. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the administration's "hearts go out" to Soldin's family and loved ones. French president Emmanuel Macron said that Soldin worked to "establish the facts" and inform the public of the war, adding that the country shares "the pain of his loved ones and all his colleagues."
AFP photojournalist Daniel Leal shared a photo of himself and Soldin on Twitter, writing "Forever remembered. Forever loved."
"The whole agency is devastated by the loss of Arman," AFP chairman Fabrice Fries said on Tuesday. "His death is a terrible reminder of the risks and dangers faced by journalists every day covering the conflict in Ukraine."
- In:
- Ukraine
- Russia
veryGood! (2322)
Related
- New Jersey will issue a drought warning after driest October ever and as wildfires rage
- Watch Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker's viral Pro Bowl campaign video
- The Denver Zoo didn't know who the father of a baby orangutan was. They called in Maury Povich to deliver the paternity test results
- Arkansas man finds 4.87 carat diamond in Crater of Diamonds State Park, largest in 3 years
- It's cozy gaming season! Video game updates you may have missed, including Stardew Valley
- Taylor Swift baked Travis Kelce 'awesome' pregame cinnamon rolls, former NFL QB says
- Suspect in killing of TV news anchor's mother captured at Connecticut hotel
- Rite Aid used AI facial recognition tech. Customers said it led to racial profiling.
- NFL MVP rankings: Does Steelers QB Russell Wilson deserve any consideration?
- Boston mayor apologizes for city's handling of 1989 murder case based on 'false, racist claim'
Ranking
- Can I take on 2 separate jobs in the same company? Ask HR
- Brodie The Goldendoodle was a crowd favorite sitting courtside at Lakers game
- Stock market today: Asian shares fall as Wall Street retreats, ending record-setting rally
- Chemical leak at Tennessee cheese factory La Quesera Mexicana sends 29 workers to the hospital
- Champions Classic is for elite teams. So why is Michigan State still here? | Opinion
- Hospital that initially treated Irvo Otieno failed to meet care standards, investigation finds
- Immigration helped fuel rise in 2023 US population. Here's where the most growth happened.
- ICHCOIN Trading Center: Cryptocurrency value stabilizer
Recommendation
-
Digital Finance Research Institute Introduce
-
Vigil held for 5-year-old migrant boy who died at Chicago shelter
-
Hiker rescued from bottom of avalanche after 1,200-foot fall in Olympic National Forest
-
New Beauty I'm Obsessed With This Month: Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, Murad, Maybelline, and More
-
Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
-
Wisconsin elections commission rejects complaint against Trump fake electors for second time
-
Wisconsin elections commission rejects complaint against Trump fake electors for second time
-
UN is seeking to verify that Afghanistan’s Taliban are letting girls study at religious schools