Central African Republic: CFWIJ Is Appalled By The Murder Of French Journalist Camille Lepage
Location: Central African Republic
Date: May 12, 2014
26-year-old French photojournalist Camille Lepage was killed in the Central African Republic (CAR), as confirmed by Paris officials. She was reportedly caught in fighting while travelling near the Central African Republic border with Cameroon. Officials say her body was found when French troops stopped a car carrying members of the local anti-balaka militia. Camille’s extraordinary work has been published in the BBC, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Le Monde, the Sunday Times, and Wall Street Journal. According to her website, she also worked for Amnesty International and Medecins Sans Frontieres. The CFWIJ condemns the killing of the journalist and demands law enforcement apprehend the assailants behind this cold-blooded murder. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Camille's family and friends.
Camille relocated to Juba, South Sudan, in 2012 after finishing her journalism degree. However, for the past few months, she was residing in CAR for work purposes. Speaking about her ongoing projects "You Will Forget Me” and “Vanishing Youth", Lepage shared in an interview that she was always enthusiastic to go and live in places where few wanted to go and cover in-depth stories. Camille stated, "I can not accept that people's tragedies are simply silenced because no one could make money out of them.” While in South Sudan, Camille lived like a local without electricity or familiar comforts.
In her last tweet, a week before her death on May 6, she shared, "Travelling with the Anti Balaka to Amada Gaza, about 120km from Berberati. We left at 3.30 am to avoid the Misca [International Support Mission to the Central African Republic] checkpoints and it took us eight hours by motorbike as there are no proper roads to reach the village…"
Since her death, the Central African Republic has become one of the most dangerous and challenging regions for humanitarian work. The aid assistance programs were severely affected as the impunity against such crimes continues. In Camille’s case, the court file with all initial documentation remained missing for several months before it was found again in 2018. The case investigation continues but at a slow pace.
The International and European Federations of Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and several other journalist organizations offered their condolences to the Lepage family following their tragic loss. They paid a heartfelt tribute to Camille's sincere efforts and unwavering commitment to her work. IFJ President Jim Boumelha said while sharing his sentiments, "We are deeply saddened and angered at the tragic loss of a highly respected journalist Camille Lepage and we offer our condolences to her colleagues and friends.” He continued, “We appeal to the government of the Central African Republic, as well as the French and other international forces based there, to immediately take every step necessary to find the perpetrators of this appalling act and bring them to swift and full justice."
The Coalition For Women In Journalism joins the demand for law enforcement authorities of CAR to conduct an in-depth inquiry into the killing of Camille Lepage and catch the culprits responsible. We hope that justice will prevail and provide some solace to Camille's family and friends.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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