Johanne Sutton, 20 years later: how to ensure the safety of journalists in difficult terrain?
Audio 02:28
Johanne Sutton © B.Leveillé / RFI
By: RFI Follow
3 min
20 years ago, RFI reporter Johanne Sutton was killed in Afghanistan in an ambush.
His death at the time highlighted the lack of safety for journalists in conflict zones.
The working conditions for journalists there are not the same yesterday as they are today.
It is especially on the upstream preparation that efforts have been made.
Comments collected by Antoine Couillaud from the Lille School of Journalism
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No helmet or bulletproof vest.
For almost a single companion, a satellite phone where each call cost between 50 and 100 € per minute.
Another era told by Marc Epstein.
He was the
Express
Special Envoy
to Afghanistan at the time of Johanne Sutton's death in November 2001.
“
All the objects, and the reflexes, and the techniques which are nowadays commonplace for special envoys in conflict zones did not exist and neither was there necessarily a very organized policy in the editorial staff for ensure your safety.
"
More internships for the safety of journalists
At the time, only one training existed.
It is reserved for a very small number of journalists including Marc Epstein.
These internships are now more numerous.
In particular within the editorial staff of France Médias Monde, where the death of Johanne Sutton caused a shock.
Alberic de Gouville was the head of RFI's reporting service.
“
All the journalists from my department, from the reporting department, but all those who had to go to RFI, we took courses called Bioforce.
It was organized by the army with NGOs in particular.
And in 2013, when Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont were killed in Kidal, we organized the internships ourselves, with someone who is a former soldier, Jean-Christophe Gérard, and it really became professional.
And there, I say to myself, today, that Johanne would perhaps be alive if we had had the same security procedures.
"
► To read also: "I am not ashamed to say that I am afraid": young journalists facing violence against the profession
Disparities in the training offered by the editorial staff
Journalists are trained in first aid and safety rules. They are also supervised remotely by their editorial staff. Margaux Benn has been a correspondent in Afghanistan since 2018 for France 24, she benefits from it. “
I was followed by their security advisor and it is this advisor who validates or not the missions. So, when I wanted to go on a report, I had to fill out a form with a certain amount of information. And then also that I explain the mission that I planned to do. And depending on this information, the security advisor may or may not give the green light. And in the event of a green light, I had to bring a satellite beacon with me to be traceable at all times.
"
The device she describes is not offered by all editors.
Nothing similar for the independent journalist Morgane Bona, until recently in Afghanistan.
“
So to protect me, nothing, except myself.
I haven't had any specific training.
Safety, I learned it on the job.
I learned to take care of myself with colleagues, to have solidarity, to have leaders who are still there, who follow you, who ask you how you are, how morale is going, because in the most important fact is morale, it is not to crack down morally.
"
According to Reporter Without Borders, two journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since the start of the year.
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