A war crimes investigation has been launched in France following the death of AFP journalist Arman Soldin by a rocket fired in eastern Ukraine. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office announced last night that the Central Office of the Police for Combating Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes is conducting the investigation. The aim is to clarify the exact circumstances of Soldin’s death.
According to investigative circles, the investigative authority is gathering a team to examine the crime scene in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Soldin came under fire from Russian rockets on the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, near the disputed town of Bakhmut for months. The 32-year-old man was fatally shot, his colleagues survived unharmed.
Minute of silence in the Senate
Yesterday, the French Senate observed the journalist with a minute of silence. “He fell because he believed that the duty to inform should stop at nothing,” said French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, stressing the importance of journalism and a free press “for our citizens and for our democracy.”
From the first day of the Russian invasion, Soldin had reported from Ukraine, often directly from the front. He voluntarily joined the first team of AFP reporters sent into the country the day after the war broke out. Since September, he has been living permanently in Ukraine, coordinating the work of video journalists and regularly traveling to the front in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Soldin has worked as a journalist for the AFP since 2015, first as an intern in the Rome office before moving to London. He spoke fluent English, French and Italian. Born in Sarajevo, Soldin also held French citizenship.