Society 18:51 09/10/2020 World

Le Monde reporter wounded in Artsakh thanks all who helped save his life

Allan Kaval, a reporter from Le Monde French daily who was injured in the Azerbaijani bombardment of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) town of Martuni while covering the conflict last week, took to Facebook on Thursday to present the incident and express gratitude to everyone who helped save his life.

Below is the full text of the journalist’s post.

"It hit hard. But I’m here.

Last Thursday, my journalist colleague Hermine Virabyan, photojournalist Rafael Yaghobzadeh and myself were covering the ongoing brutal conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh from the town on Martuni, not far from the front lines.

It was midday and and from the residential street we were walling on, we heard the sound of grad rockets being fired at us from the Turkish-aligned Azeri lines.

They were bombing the town and we were hit in a rain of fire and metal.

Among us us, Grisha Narinyan, an employee of the Martuni municipality, who was showing us locations of earlier attacks died on the spot.

He was 28 years old.

My thoughts go to him and his family everyday. Grisha died because he wanted the outside world to know what his people were going through.

May he rest in peace along with the 3 other civilians who died on that strike.

Our driver Armen Sayian was lighly injured but still suffers headaches from the blast.

My colleague, Hermine, who I appreciate so much despite the short time we worked together, was thankfully left unharmed. My friend and colleague, Rafael, was wounded on the head and on a leg.

If I understand correctly, I was hit by about a dozen pieces of shrapnel in various places. Some pierced my abdomen and made their way through it.

I am now recovering step by step, day by day.

However I would not be able to write these words if it was not for a immense chain of people who saved me in Martuni, Stepanakert, Yerevan and Paris. Some are famous, some are my friends, some I will never know.

This chain of people, among whom are citizens of Martuni who played a decisive role in the first moments, worked tirelessly to get us to safety.

Let me thank my journalist colleagues who picked me up from the burnt ground and drove me to the medical centre in the town. Let me thank my other colleagues who were who were there and let Paris know about the situation, especially Hermine and Regis Genté. Let me thank all the staff at the Martuni medical centre who, in the middle of an attack on their town, found the time to save two foreigners. Let me thank the men who took me from Martuni to Stepanakert Hospital in an old ambulance, speeding on the winding roads while gently avoiding the bumps.

I know how much the staff of Stepanakert Hospital did tremendous work to save me. I have not yet been able to get to know the names of all of them, but I am deeply grateful to each and every one of them. I am also deeply grateful to the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and France, who secured our transfer by helicopter to Yerevan.

Of course, not of it would have been possible without President Macron, who spoke publicly about our case and did the impossible to get us out, and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The crisis centre at the Foreign Ministry did everything they could to coordinate these efforts and I want to thank its head, Eric Chevallier.

I want to thank in particular the staff of the French embassy in Yerevan, who worked tirelessly to get us home in the best conditions possible, under Ambassador Jonathan Lacôte and with First secretary Claire le Flécher.

I am also extremely grateful to my colleagues at Le Monde, who coordinated with all the relevant authorities in order to get us out. I am so grateful to work with such a supportive group of people. I thank all of them for their thoughts, their support and their work on those very long days. I want to thank in particular Jerôme Fenoglio, Luc Bronner, Alain Salles,Valerie Miché, Piotr Smolar, Isabelle Mandraud, Marie Sumala, Nicolas Jimenez and Hélène Sallon who coordinated around the clock from Paris.

And of course, I need to thank very warmly the great teams from AXA who organised logistics.

Now, to all my friends: for all your messages of support, from all over the world, for all your thoughts, for your love, I am eternally grateful.

As soon as I am stronger, I will take the time to answer all of your kind messages. Your words, even if left unanswered for many days, are a big part of the healing process.

I apologise to all my loved ones, especially to my family and to my Rebecca, for the amount of stress I put them under.

I am now recovering thanks to all of you.

I am being looked after in Paris at La Pitié Salpétriére by the most dedicated, professional and kind doctors and nurses.

Everyday marks a new step towards my full recovery.

It will take a bit of time, but I know that you are with me.

Your Allan."



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:03
Raúl among potential candidates for Armenia manager
Raúl is being considered among the potential candidates for the new head coach of Armenia’s national football team, Armen...
16:46
Putin reiterates Russia's commitment to normalizing Armenian-Azeri relations
Moscow is doing all it can to help relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia to normalize and sees these countries as its natural strategic...
16:30
Colder weather ahead in Armenia
Clear weather is expected in Armenia’s regions on Tuesday and in the next few days. Strong winds of up to 25 m/s are forecast for some...
16:12
Nearly 58% of survey respondents dissatisfied with Pashinyan's performance
According to a Gallup International Association survey, nearly 58% of respondents are dissatisfied with Armenian Prime Minister...
15:31
Global prayer for Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan on the eve of COP29
On the initiative of His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, an ecumenical (global) prayer for peace and justice in Armenia and the...
15:15
Putin receives credentials from new Armenian ambassador
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday received letters of credence from 28 newly arrived foreign ambassadors, including Armenian...
14:43
Azerbaijan has no plans to leave Armenian territories, MP claims
MP Tigran Abrahamyan of the opposition Pativ Unem faction has called attention to the discussion on the sequence of border sections for...
14:05
Georgian travel agency deletes post on Armenia's Lori, unavailable on president's page
Georgian travel agency Adjara Voyage has deleted its social media post describing Armenia's Lori Province as “historical...
13:35
EU officials visited Armenia for visa liberalization talks, deputy FM says
EU officials have travelled to Armenia for visa liberalization talks, Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan said on Tuesday....
13:15
Greta Thunberg boycotts COP29 in Baku
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has announced her decision to boycott the upcoming COP29 climate summit, set to take place in Baku,...
12:59
UN court to deliver judgment on Armenia v. Azerbaijan case on November 12
On Tuesday 12 November, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its...
12:33
Opposition MP asks to postpone independence declaration debates
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Gegham Manukyan on Tuesday asked a parliamentary committee to postpone debates on a statement defending...
12:03
Senator Markey: COP29 should be used to hold Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes
U.S. Senator Ed Markey insists that COP29 should be used to hold the Azerbaijani government accountable for its war crimes....
11:34
Armenia appoints new justice minister
Srbuhi Galyan has been appointed Armenia’s new justice minister. President President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a relevant decree...
11:15
Iranian leader to attend COP29 in Baku
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the COP29 UN climate summit in Baku, the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan reported....
11:02
Armenian ambassador says he received death threats from Azeri counterpart in Brussels
The Armenian Embassy has lodged a formal protest with other diplomatic missions in Brussels after its ambassador claimed to have been on the...
17:02
Footballer killed by lightning strike at match in Peru
A football player in Peru has died and more have suffered injuries after being struck by lightning during a match on Sunday afternoon, the Daily...
16:46
On the trail of a post about Lori shared by Georgian president
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili shared on Facebook a post by a Georgian travel agency offering tours to Armenia’s Lori Province on...
16:05
Parliament speaker names ruling party's candidate for Gyumri mayor
Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party has picked Karen Sarukhanyan, a former governor of Shirak Province, as its candidate for the next...
15:42
Pashinyan criticized for failure to congratulate Moldova's president on re-election
Artur Sakunts, a human rights activist who heads the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly-Vanadzor, on Monday criticized Prime Minister Nikol...
15:07
Car crash in Armenia leaves one dead, three wounded
A tragic car crash in Armenia’s Aragatsotn Province on Monday left one person killed and three others injured. The Rescue Service...
14:36
Yerevan mayor says his 'good looks' could make him a target for corruption rumors
Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan denied allegations of corrupt practices involving him as defamation.  “I guess my good looks...
14:14
Putin to accept credentials from new Armenian envoy on Tuesday
Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive the letters of credence from 28 newly arrived foreign ambassadors, including Armenian...
13:45
Legendary music producer Quincy Jones dies at 91
Quincy Jones, a titan of American entertainment who worked with stars from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson and Will Smith, has died aged...
13:30
Rain expected in some parts of Armenia on Monday
Rain is forecast for some parts of Armenia on Monday, with snow set to hit the country’s mountainous areas. Clear weather is expected...
13:04
At least 10 killed after volcano erupts in Indonesia
At least 10 people have been killed after a volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia in the early hours of Monday, BBC News reports, citing local...
12:46
ICRC visits Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan
Employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan in October this year....
12:26
Spanish king pelted with eggs in flood-hit Valencia
Angry residents booed and threw eggs at Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia as they visited the Valencia region, where more than 200...
12:10
Political analyst: Azerbaijan sitting on the twine
Political analyst Stepan Danielyan has weighed in on the latest developments regarding the Ukraine conflict. In a social media post on...
11:35
Tatoyan Foundation working to expose Azerbaijan's lies about Artsakh
Specialists of the Tatoyan Foundation are doing extensive work to expose the false Azerbaijani narratives about Armenia and Artsakh...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}