Senior international correspondent at CNN Nic Robertson discusses his recent experience reporting from Syria and the attack which killed French cameraman Gilles Jacquier

GENEVA (AP) — Two Swiss journalists have blamed Syrian authorities for the death of a French colleague killed in the restive city of Homs earlier this month.

Award-winning TV reporter Gilles Jacquier died Jan. 11 in an apparent grenade attack that Syria claims was carried out by opposition forces.

But Patrick Vallelian and Sid Ahmed Hammouche told The Associated Press they believe the attack was part of an elaborate trap set up by Syrian authorities.

The two Swiss reporters and Jacquier were part of a group of foreign journalists being escorted through Homs by Syrian soldiers and intelligence officials.

Vallelian of the weekly L’Hebdo and Hammouche of the daily La Liberte newspaper said the soldiers appeared to know in advance that the attack was going to happen.

Newsies face unique dangers to chronicle Arab Spring

Journalists find themselves between Syrian security forces, shown here, and equally well-armed rebels.

According to Sue Lloyd-Roberts, it’s easier for women to pass unchallenged at Middle East checkpoints.

The Jan. 11 death of Gilles Jacquier, reporter for Gaul’s France 2 channel, underscores the dangers faced by journalists in areas of political unrest — and in particular the unique perils to those in Syria. But a few hardy souls are using ingenuity and unusual methods to shed light on the region.

Jacquier was killed when rocket grenades exploded among a group of pro-government activists as well as reporters on a state-sponsored visit to the beleaguered Syrian city of Homs, which has been a hot spot of rebellion by those pushing Syria to join the Arab Spring.

Journos who manage to get into the country are closely monitored and prevented from speaking to opposition leaders or from visiting the centers of the rebellion.

While most broadcasters have relied on video footage of the protests from social media sites like YouTube to run alongside reports filed by correspondents based outside of the country, a few freelance TV journalists have opted to enter the country undercover, with the help of opposition groups, so that they can deliver first-hand accounts of the conflict.

Late last year, French TV reporter Paul Moreira and cameraman Pedro Brito da Fonseca spent 10 days with resistance fighters in northwestern Syria, and accompanied them on attacks on army bases. Their docu on the subject, “Inside the Syrian Insurrection,” aired on French paybox Canal Plus last month, and is now being sold abroad by Zodiak Rights.

The covert nature of their work forced them to adopt elaborate measures to avoid detection. “At times we felt as if we were the protagonists in a spy movie,” Moreira says.

In such situations, the journalists’ efforts to get the story become part of the film’s narrative. “What I liked about the documentary is that it feels spontaneous; Moreira’s emotions are palpable,” says Alexandre Piel, head of acquisitions and co-productions at Zodiak Rights. “This is really a film about two journalists risking their lives to show what’s happening in Syria.”

Piel says the company was interested the instant it saw the rough cut of the docu. “We know that international channels are always on the lookout for time-sensitive, exclusive content,” he says.

Sue Lloyd-Roberts meanwhile, went to Syria undercover for the BBC twice last year, first to Damascus, and later to Homs, a hotbed of anti-government resistance and a lightning rod for suppression by government forces.

Lloyd-Roberts has traveled undercover in many countries where press freedom is limited — including the former Soviet Union, Tibet and Burma — during her 21-year career as a foreign correspondent. In Syria, she posed as a Byzantium scholar.

“I arrange my belongings in such a way that there is absolutely no evidence on me that I am a journalist,” she says. “Everything has to be sanitized. Laptops have to be prepared, with my cover story intact. Every time you are undercover, you have to assume that you’re going to be arrested any day.”

Lloyd-Roberts does her own filming. “I’m much happier doing that because there’s a risk involved, and I’d much rather work in those kind of circumstances only having to worry about myself and the people who I am working with inside the country,” she says.

She adds that using a lightweight camera affects picture quality, but the unique nature of the content she captures makes it worthwhile. “If your footage is exclusive, it doesn’t matter if it isn’t fantastically sophisticated and technically marvelous, because an exclusive is an exclusive,” she says.

If caught, journalists know they are likely to be imprisoned, but for Moreira there was added danger in Syria. “I’ve traveled to many war zones, such as Iraq, but I had never felt threatened by the government as I did in Syria, where showing your camera could get you gunned down,” he says.

Traveling covertly means that a reporter’s fate is in the hands of the people who smuggle them in. But Lloyd-Roberts says it is best to trust those people. “Once you are across the border, I believe that you should entirely accept what they are telling you, and do what they tell you, within reason,” she says.

“At times in my life, I’ve had people who’ve gone a bit psychotic on me and are clearly on some kind of personal suicide mission; that’s when you realize that you have got to take the situation in your own hands. But by and large I’ve been very impressed by an incredibly intelligent, brave, canny Syrian opposition.”

Lloyd-Roberts and Moreira have different approaches when it comes to allowing interviewees to show their faces on-camera.

“We never asked the resistance fighters we interviewed to show their faces, but many of them wanted to, because they were proud of their actions, and wanted to make a statement,” Moreira says.

Lloyd-Roberts, however, says the journalist should make sure the interviewee remains disguised, because the risks to them are too great. “For a foreign reporter caught in Syria, and there have been a few, it’s really not very serious: It’s a few days’ arrest, which I’ve had before, and I can easily tolerate. What’s more worrying is if you put anyone you are working with in danger, because then it can be arrest, torture, possibly execution or having to flee the country.”

Soazig Dollet, head of the Middle East and North Africa desk at Reporters Without Borders, an org that fights for press freedom, agrees.

“Journalists traveling to Syria must be extremely careful how they handle their sources,” Dollet says. “Some journalists have caused waves of arrests and left behind sources who either got killed, abducted or tortured.”

Reporters Without Borders provoked an uproar late last year when it recommended that female journalists should not go to Egypt, following a spate of attacks.

But being a female journalist in a country like Syria has its advantages. “The irony is, in covering the Arab Spring, undercover work is made easier for a woman in that you’re wearing the hijab,” Lloyd-Roberts says. “You can put on an abaya (a traditional dress that covers the whole body), and as far as men are concerned, you just don’t register.

“I’ve been stopped many times at roadblocks; women are just not questioned, and very rarely are they asked for documentation because they are kind of non-people.”

For Lloyd-Roberts, the opportunity to go where few other journalists have gone make the risks worthwhile. “I’m bewildered by how few people have bothered to get in because it isn’t that difficult,” she says. “Maybe the problem is that one feature of the Syrian uprising has been that the opposition have been assiduous in the collection and distribution of pictures. So maybe this has made mainstream journalists a bit idle. … You can always put together a film report on Syria by using the YouTube output.

“But if you can talk to people on a personal basis, it makes all the difference, and has more impact,” she says.

Will Lloyd-Roberts return to Syria soon? “I wouldn’t care to say,” she replies. “But put it like this, I am pretty committed to the story.”

Contact Leo Barraclough at leo.barraclough@variety.com

A picture taken on April 9, 2002 shows cameraman Gilles Jacquier (L) and reporter Bertrand Coq from French TV 2 posing with an unidentified colleague in the West Bank city of Nablus. (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

PARIS — Paris prosecutors said Friday they have launched a preliminary murder investigation over the death of a French TV journalist in Syria, with his network raising questions about a suspect military escort.

The French government, human rights groups and the Syrian opposition have all demanded an inquiry into the death Wednesday of 43-year-old Gilles Jacquier in a barrage of grenades in the restive city of Homs.

The award-winning correspondent for France-2 Television was the first Western journalist killed in the 10-month-old uprising. Jacquier was among a group of 15 journalists on the government trip when they were hit by the grenades; up to eight Syrian civilians also were reported killed.

Thierry Thuillier, the editorial director for France-2’s parent company France Televisions, said in an interview posted on its Web site that the shots fired were “accurate” and the French crew had not wanted to go to Homs.

“For us, this scenario raises many questions about the origin of the shots, the target aimed at,” said Thuillier. “These journalists were part of a convoy under an escort – very tightly contained.”

“When the firing started, the Syrian soldiers backed away, leaving the journalists exposed and alone. Why? I don’t have the answer. The editorial staff, France Televisions (and) the families want this answer,” Thuillier said.

Thuillier, speaking on the network’s lunchtime news program, made the comments after confirming he had received accounts of the incident from journalists who traveled to France along with Jacquier’s body.

French judicial officials, who confirmed the prosecutor’s investigation opened Friday, said an autopsy was planned later in the day.

Syrian state-run news agency SANA reported Friday that Homs governor Ghassan Abdel al-Aal had decided to set up a committee to investigate the attack and would be made up of a judge, a local security chief, weapons experts and a France 2 representative.

However, France Televisions issued a statement Friday denying it would take part in the commission, and indicating that Syrian authorities had not contacted the French network about it.

The U.N. estimates more than 5,000 people have been killed since Syria’s uprising began in March, and much of the violence has been from security forces firing on unarmed protesters.

On Dec. 27, an Arab League team of observers began work in Syria to offer an outside view of whether the government is abiding by its agreement to end the military crackdown on dissent. The Syrian government has been accused of interfering with the team’s work.

Syria has banned almost all foreign journalists since the start of the uprising, and only recently started issuing short-term visas for a limited number of journalists, who are allowed to move only accompanied by government minders.

SANA has said the Syrian government-organized tour for journalists, including Jacquier, came in the framework of its acceptance for foreign media “to move freely” in Syria.

Meanwhile, French media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said it was “circumspect” about the “real independence” of the commission, adding: “The utmost caution is still necessary.”

___

Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten contributed to this report.

The attack in the Syrian city of Homs, where a French cameraman Wednesday was killed, probably deliberately done by the Syrian government on journalists. That said, the Dutch photographer Steven Wassenaar, who was injured in the aanlsag.

“I have no proof, but there are many indications that it was a hoax from the Syrian regime,” Wassenaar said to NOS correspondent Ron left.

A Belgian radio journalist who was there, thinks so. “We can not prove in black and white, but when the pieces of the puzzle together places, it remains a strange story,” said Jens Franssen journalist in a radio broadcast of the Belgian broadcaster VRT.

Quiet neighborhood

This week, fifteen foreign journalists were accompanied by security forces to visit Syria.

On the day of the attack was not suddenly the guide with the group, says Franssen.“Exactly when we were there, five grenades were fired. After it was again quiet in the neighborhood.” All shops in the street were closed, while according to the journalist in the rest of the city a lot of life on the street.

“This neighborhood has never been fought, there were no windows taped, there was no impact of a mortar shell, no bullet hole. The opposition has no mortars. Why should these munitions waste in this area? The only thing there at that time came, twelve western journalists, “ says Wassenaar .

Syrian opposition group, rebel army join forces #Syria

By the CNN Wire Staff
January 13, 2012 — Updated 1028 GMT (1828 HKT)

(CNN) — A Syrian opposition group demanding the end of President Bashar al-Assad’s reign announced Friday that it has begun coordinating with the rebel Free Syria Army, while thousands of anti-government protesters were set to take to the streets to support the breakaway army.

The announcement by the Syrian National Council and the planned protests across the country in support of the rebel army appears to signal a shift in the anti-government movement, an effort to solidify coordination between the groups who say have been the target of a brutal crackdown by al-Assad’s forces.

The move coincides with reports of increased violence against demonstrators by security forces despite the ongoing efforts of an Arab League fact-finding mission to determine whether the Syrian government is abiding by an agreement to end the crackdown.

Al-Assad, who has characterized the anti-government protesters as “armed gangs,” has insisted his security forces are battling terrorists intent on targeting civilians and fomenting unrest. The United States, the European Union and a number of Arab countries have called on al-Assad to end the violence and step down.

The Syrian National Council — an umbrella organization for a number of opposition groups — plans to establish a liaison office with the Free Syria Army “to maintain direct communications around the clock,” the group said in a statement.

The council also is opening a direct channel of communication with the rebel force to ensure effective communication between the two groups “in order to achieve optimal service to the Syrian revolution,” the statement said.

Additionally, the Syrian National Council and the Free Syria Army — composed of military defectors — agreed to reorganize the rebel military units and create a plan to accommodate additional soldiers, according to the statement.

The plan was hammered out Thursday during a meeting between members of the council and the rebel army, the statement said.

It was unclear where the liaison office would be situated.

Meanwhile, Syrian activists and opposition groups used Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to urge thousands to take to the streets Friday in support of the rebel army.

More than 5,000 people have died since mid-March, when al-Assad began the crackdown on anti-government protesters calling for his ouster, the United Nations has said. But opposition groups put the toll at more than 6,000.

CNN can not confirm the claims by opposition groups of violence and deaths as Syria’s government has limited access to foreign journalists, though a number of journalists have been allowed in to the country in recent weeks to travel with Arab League monitors.

The body of France 2 TV journalist Gilles Jacquier was returned to Paris on Friday, just days after his network said he was killed when a mortar shell struck the pro-government rally he was attending as part of a government-authorized tour of the flashpoint city of Homs. Eight Syrians also died in the attack.

A plane carrying Jacquier’s body landed at Le Bourget airport near Paris where it was met by French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterand, according to a France 2 report.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said Jacquier was among a delegation of international journalists visiting the city to document the damage by “terrorists.”

But the Syrian Revolution General Commission, an opposition force, disputed that description of events. It said security forces fired two shells at journalists from an infantry vehicle.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has demanded Syrian authorities divulge details surrounding the killing of Jacquier, saying the government should have ensured the safety of journalists invited to carry out the visit.

The Arab League has called on Damascus to stop violence against civilians, free political detainees, remove tanks and weapons from cities and allow outsiders, including members of the international news media, to travel freely around Syria.

The fact-finding mission, which began December 26, will continue until January 19, said Ambassador Adnan Al Khudeir, head of the operations room to which the Arab monitors report. He put the number of monitors at 163 in 16 teams. One has left because of sickness and another because of personal reasons, he said.

Meanwhile, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria — an opposition group that organizes and documents anti-government demonstrations — said a 13-year-old girl from a village in Aleppo was shot and killed by government security forces Friday. The girl was traveling with her family when their vehicle was fired upon at a checkpoint, and she was hit three times, the LCC said.

Security forces forbade the family from taking the girl to a nearby hospital, and she died at the scene, the group said.

The LCC said earlier that 25 people in five provinces were killed Thursday: 10 in Homs, nine in Idlib, four in Deir Ezzor, and one each in Hama and the Damascus suburb of Douma. Two of those killed were military recruits who had defected, the group said.

Syrian president predicts ‘triumph’ #Syria

Damascus, Syria (CNN) — As violence erupted in Homs, Syria’s president turned up at a boisterous pro-government rally in Damascus Wednesday, whipping up his followers and again underscoring his view that the months of popular unrest in his nation are the result of a “conspiracy.”

“We will triumph over this conspiracy,” Bashar al-Assad told a cheering, clapping and flag-waving throng.

“I will not say that the country is confronting a major conspiracy because you are here to stand up against it,” he said. “These are the final phases of the conspiracy, and we will make sure that we will stand up victorious.”

Al-Assad’s appearance at the rally comes a day after he delivered a defiant televised speech, strongly defending his government’s reforms and blaming the unrest on “external conspiracies.”

Meanwhile, the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, an opposition activist group, said in a statement that 25 people were killed in unrest Wednesday — seven in Hama, 12 in Homs, two each in Idlib and Haleb and one each in Latakia and Deir Ezzor.

The government blamed an “armed terrorist group” for a mortar attack it said killed an award-winning French journalist and eight Syrians in the strife-torn city of Homs.

Gilles Jacquier of the France 2 TV network died when a mortar shell struck the pro-government rally he was attending as part of a government-authorized tour of Homs, the network said. He is the first Western journalist to die in the 10-month-old uprising in Syria.

Wednesday’s rally in Damascus occurred during an Arab League fact-finding mission to see if the Syrian government is adhering to an agreement to end the violence.

Al-Assad made the appearance amid widespread grass-roots and international anger over his government’s crackdown against peaceful protesters. The crackdown has continued despite the presence of Arab League observers and international pressure, with opposition activists estimating the number of deat at 6,000-plus.

Four members of the Syrian army were killed when a bomb exploded in a military bus Wednesday, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said. Eight others were injured in the explosion in the Damascus countryside, according to SANA. It blamed the attack on an “armed terrorist group.”

Opposition groups blame the violence on al-Assad’s government, but the president continues to blame the bloodshed on terrorists.

Al-Assad — who rarely makes public appearances — caused quite a stir when he showed up at Wednesday’s rally. A news anchor said his presence “caught us off guard, quite surprising.”

Standing next to Syria’s first lady, Asma al-Assad, the president lauded his supporters.

“I came here so we can put our hands together, to build the great Syria that we love, that we believe in. Together, we will work together and walk forward with the reforms,” al-Assad said.

He said he wanted to “shake hands” with everyone in the crowd and in every city in Syria. He made reference to the fact that he has been criticized for not talking directly to the people.

“I wanted to be with you so I can have the power from you, because of you, in confronting these obstacles ahead of us. I salute you as you come here for support, coming from your mosques, your churches, to support your great nation, your military, your institutions,” he said.

The Arab League has called on Damascus to stop violence against civilians, free political detainees, remove tanks and weapons from cities and allow outsiders, including the international news media, to travel freely around Syria.

Arab League officials have pledged to add to their 165 observers already in the country. But the group’s mission has been met with skepticism from both al-Assad supporters and anti-government activists.

Anwar Malek, an Algerian Arab League observer who withdrew from the monitoring team, told Al-Jazeera he quit because he found himself “serving the regime, and not part of an independent monitoring body. “

He said the mission is providing the “regime cover for more killing.” Malek said he spent 15 days in the restive city of Homs and saw “shameful scenes,” finding people in detention facilities in a “deplorable and tragic state.”