Arman and the war against journalists: A year of pain and loss

The killing of the brilliant young AFP journalist Arman Soldin on the front lines in Ukraine one year ago remains a uniquely traumatic event for all of us.

There is nothing more painful for a newsroom than to lose a friend and colleague in the line of fire.

Arman had proved both his talent as a video storyteller and his unbridled commitment to his craft. He was passionate about giving a voice to the ordinary people caught up in the tumult of war.

His death at 32 was not just a crime, it was a great loss to journalism.

At AFP we try to honour his memory every day with our continued commitment to reporting from Ukraine as well as Gaza, Lebanon, Israel and many other conflicts on our increasingly fragile planet. It is our mission, it is in our DNA, we do not consider it a choice.

But that does not mean we can accept a growing global culture of impunity around the killing, maiming and imprisonment of journalists. The statistics are profoundly shocking.

- Killed and detained -

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) records over 950 journalists worldwide murdered for doing their job since 1992. It has documented over 90 journalists killed in Gaza over the past seven months alone, an unprecedented assault on press freedom that has passed largely under the radar.

The CPJ also notes over 350 journalists detained worldwide last year including Russia-based Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a former AFP colleague with many friends in our newsroom.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also stated last week in their annual Press Freedom Index that the primary culprits in the failure to protect journalists are governments and politicians. The tilt towards authoritarianism and populism is systematically undermining a culture where journalists are valued in society.

The lack of outrage and concrete action over this unacceptable state of affairs cannot be allowed to stand. It is essential the media industry rallies together and uses every lever available to push back against this creeping and existential threat.

Those responsible for this unprecedented attack on civil society should be named, held to account and ultimately brought to justice. It may take time, but we need to be resolute and stay the course.

Arman was killed by a Russian Grad rocket attack as he reported with colleagues on the bloody battle for the town of Bakhmut on May 9, 2023. The group, which included several Ukrainian soldiers, appears to have been directly targeted, but we don't know yet whether they were targeted because journalists were present.

- War crimes investigation -

We are encouraged that French anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened a war crimes investigation to determine the exact circumstances of Arman's death. We hope this will bring some answers and accountability.

We are also working to bring clarity to the circumstances around the horrific attack by an Israeli tank on a group of journalists in southern Lebanon on October 13. The attack killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and wounded six other journalists including AFP photographer Christina Assi and video journalist Dylan Collins. Christina had a leg amputated and spent five months in intensive care in hospital.

One of our strongest weapons in our fight against impunity is our own journalism. The rise of open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques has given digital investigators tremendous resources to track down culprits and provide facts to counter false narratives and misinformation. The combination of this digital sleuthing with old-fashioned on-the-ground evidence gathering is a powerful cocktail.

In southern Lebanon, the investigative journalism of AFP and Reuters has produced facts to prove that Israeli tank fire was responsible. Military experts say it is evident the group, who were all clearly identified as press, were deliberately targeted. This was not about the fog of war. Something went terribly wrong, and we must now have answers.

This is a tough and unsettling anniversary for all Arman Soldin's family, friends and colleagues. His force of personality, humanity and humour left deep traces and memories which cannot be erased. We grieve deeply for his loss. And we shall continue to seek justice for his killing.

Phil Chetwynd is Global News Director of AFP