Johanne Sutton

Johanne Sutton (December 1, 1960 in Casablanca, Morocco – November 11, 2001 in Dasht-e Qaleh, Afghanistan) was a French radio reporter and journalist. Graduating from the École supérieure de journalisme de Lille in 1990, she began working for Radio France International in 1991. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9905EFDC1038F930A25752C1A9679C8B63 A NATION CHALLENGED: THE NEWS MEDIA; Two French Radio Journalists and a German Are Killed in Taliban Ambush of a Rebel Force] , "The New York Times", November 13, 2001] Sutton had covered conflicts in Kosovo, Macedonia, and the Middle East, though she specialized in investigative reporting.

Death

Sutton, along with fellow French journalist Pierre Billaud and German journalist Volker Handloik, was killed in an ambush in Dasht-e Qaleh, Takhar Province, Afghanistan on November 11 2001. The trio were travelling on a Northern Alliance armoured personnel carrier when they came under attack by Taliban troops with machine guns and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Australian journalist Paul McGeough and French journalist Véronique Reyberotte survived the attack. According to Reyberotte Billaud and Sutton jumped off the tank.

Reaction

Former French president Jacques Chirac and former French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin praised Sutton and Billaud for their courage.

References