The investigation is notably opened for “willful attack on the life of a person protected by international law” and “deliberate attack against people who are not directly involved in the conflict”.
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the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat) announced on Monday, May 30, the opening of an investigation after the death of the journalist image reporter Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, killed near Severodonetsk, in eastern Ukraine. The flagrancy investigation was entrusted to the Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes.
It was opened for “deliberate attack on the life of a person protected by international law”, “deliberate attack against persons not taking direct part in the conflicts” and “deliberate attacks against personnel and vehicles employed in the part of a humanitarian aid mission”, learned franceinfo from the prosecution. She also relates to “the injuries suffered by his colleague Maxime Brandstaetter”present with him during the report, said the prosecution.
Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff, 32-year-old journalist, who worked for BFMTV, was fatally hit by a “shrapnel while following a humanitarian operation”, said the news channel, shortly after the announcement of the death of the journalist on Twitter by Emmanuel Macron. He was “killed by a Russian bombardment on a humanitarian operation while exercising his duty to inform”said Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, at least eight journalists have died in the field in the exercise of their profession, according to a report by Reporters Without Borders. At least five other investigations for acts committed against French nationals in Ukraine have been opened since the start of the war by the crimes against humanity and war crimes unit of the Pnat. A first investigation had been opened after the death of the Franco-Irish journalist Pierre Zakrzewski on March 14 in Horenka, near kyiv.