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On August 10, the private, pro-opposition daily Liberté photojournalist, Ledoux, went on a routine
assignment, covering a political demonstration organized by a faction of
At some point, Letondot says: "Do you know who I am? I am the adviser to
the army chief of staff. Do you want me to call RCGP [Presidential Guard
Commando Regiment] to bring this to order? Yes or no?" Earlier, he can be heard
on tape saying to the military police officers on the scene: "Throw him into
prison."
Video of the incident, recorded by Togolese journalist and blogger Noël Tadegnon, first appeared on Facebook last Tuesday, where one commenter wrote: "the news spread like wildfire. Thank you for everything. Beyond your job, it was a civic accomplishment." Then it hit YouTube, where it registered nearly 700,000 views as of today.
The symbolism of the scene--a
French officer intimidating a journalist in one of
"Fifty years after African
independence was celebrated with great pomp this summer on the Champs-Elysées, it is
surprising," Haski wrote.
For Ledoux, who has been working
the streets of Lomé since 2001, physical and verbal intimidation from police or
bodyguards of officials--in total impunity--has been an accepted peril of the
job. Pointing your camera during a demonstration in Lomé can draw trouble here
as in Abidjan,
Dakar,
Kampala,
Mogadishu,
or Harare.
A reporter at Ledoux's newspaper asked questions: "What is a special adviser to the army chief of staff doing at a public demonstration whose security is in principle assured by the police and the gendarmerie? Why was he giving orders as the images show?"
Faced with a public relations disaster, the French Embassy in Lomé released a short press statement describing the circumstances: "The vehicle of a French officer, member of the mission of military cooperation, which was fortuitously near a gathering, was today the target of stone throwers. After alerting the acts to a squad of military police which was nearby, the officer did not want a photographer to take photos." Then the embassy staged a reconciliation meeting during which the officer reportedly apologized to the journalist.
In an interview
with French daily L'Express on
Thursday, Letondot claimed he had even become
"buddies" with Ledoux and said he was motivated by the fear that photos
of him talking to Togolese police would be
"misinterpreted." It is a complaint Ledoux has often heard from Togolese
security forces, he told me. "They are very allergic to photo-taking because
they realize they might be caught in heinous acts in contravention to human
rights and they want to protect themselves from possible prosecution."
Letondot claimed he had been driving in
His recollection of what happened next, however, directly contradicts the
footage. "I ignored that I was dealing with a journalist of Liberté," he said. The word "press" can be seen in
blue letters on the photojournalist's sleeveless vest sported by
Ledoux throughout the video. Addressing
the journalist using the patronizing French pronoun "tu," Letondot is heard saying: "I don't care if you're press. You remove it. You remove your photo now
or I take it. Now!" as he grabs the camera hanging from Ledoux's neck. At some
point, Ledoux is even heard saying: "I am covering an event, I am doing my job!
It's as if I was asking you to give me your weapon!"
Letondot went as far as to claim to L'Express that he was the victim in the incident: "I am rather the victim in this case. One must understand that I had no alternative and that I was set up."
Ledoux had something to say
about that. He said that for Letondot, who "comes from a democratic country
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i am saddened by the story.what does it mean to be free,why even after the country idependence from the same oppressor work together.THAT SOULDER WHOEVER HIS NAME IS SHOULD BE ARRESTED ,who the hell does he think he is.
photo j from kenya