Death of a French journalist in Ukraine | Appearances of “war on information”

A journalist from the French channel BFM was killed on Monday in Ukraine, where attacks on freedom of the press attributable to Russian forces are multiplying to the point of taking all the appearances of a “real war on information”, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Marc Thibodeau
The Press

According to his employer, Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff “was following a humanitarian operation aboard an armored vehicle” in a Donbass city subjected to intense Russian bombardment when the fateful strike occurred.

A shrapnel pierced a window, hitting the 32-year-old man in the neck. Another journalist who accompanied him, Maxime Brandstaetter, was slightly injured.

“To those who carry out the difficult mission of informing in the theaters of operations, I want to reiterate France’s unconditional support”, declared President Emmanuel Macron in a message of solidarity relayed on his Twitter account.

The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, demanded that a “thorough investigation” be carried out “as soon as possible to shed full light on the circumstances of the tragedy”. She directly blamed the Russian army, which is currently on the offensive in the Donbass, for what she considers a “crime”.

RSF, which is monitoring the situation closely, reported that the BFM journalist was the eighth news worker to die covering the aftermath of the invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24.

Complaint to the ICC

Mr. Leclerc-Imhoff’s death came as the press freedom organization announced the filing of a new complaint against Russia with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The country “shows its desire to control information and to silence those who have a discourse that differs from official propaganda, by resorting to violence which is characteristic of war crimes”, underlined the secretary general of RSF, Christophe Deloire, in support of the process.

He is particularly alarmed by the fact that at least twenty journalists working in Ukraine have been “deliberately” targeted with firearms or artillery fire in recent months.

The concentration of fighting in the Donbass area has had the effect of reducing the number of such incidents, but has not prevented kidnappings, sequestrations and threats against journalists from “continuing at the same rate”.

Around fifty journalists from a media outlet in Berdiansk were held for several hours, in addition to being beaten, by Russian forces who wanted to force them to collaborate.

Several kidnappings ended tragically, according to the organization, which recalls in particular the case of Ukrainian journalist Maks Levin. His lifeless body was found three weeks after his disappearance in the Kyiv region, with two bullets in the head, according to the Ukrainian authorities.

RSF also wants the ICC to investigate Russian efforts targeting telecommunications infrastructure. A first complaint filed in March noted that transmission towers distributed in half a dozen cities were bombed, temporarily compromising the operation of many media.

The Committee for the Protection of Journalists, which on Monday asked the Russian and Ukrainian authorities to shed full light on the circumstances that led to the death of Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, is also alarmed by the effect of the conflict on the media.

“His death is another example of the chilling impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine on non-combatants. Journalists are civilians who show singular courage in reporting what is happening in war zones. They should never be targeted because of their work,” noted the organization’s director, Robert Mahoney.