Friday, April 1. - 01h20

"Florence is alone. " "Florence is not with Hussein because they are in an Arabic country."
These words are from Serge July, from French daily newspaper Liberation, at the end of a FR3 television programme concerning the kidnapping of the two French journalists in Iraq, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, during 124 days at the end of 2004.
Above all, I’ve learnt from this programme that Hussein Hanoun was one of the first "contact" during the kidnapping of the two journalists... Then I hope he is still alive this evening. And I thought again about what Iskander Debbache wrote in February 2005, one month before the video tape showing that Florence Aubenas was alive (to read here).

Tuesday, March 29

Yestarday evening, at the time of the 8 o’clock television news, the behaviour of the French TV channel towards a possible tsunami after an earthquake in Indonesia was almost incredible. “With the passing of time one can stand back and judge events better” was inopportune: no stand back, excessively dramatization, looping always the same pictures from records…
It was not only panic in Indonesia but also at the 8 o’clock television news!
One of the best howlers could be heard on French TV channel TF1 which announced at 8.09 pm: “Thailand which launched a tsunami alert a few minutes… a few hours after the earthquake”. One could admit that the journalist worked in urgency and then he had to correct his sentence, but in that case, he corrected with a stupidity!
The strength of the quake was also different. On French TV channel FR2, at 8.07 pm, one could hear from “8.2 to 8.7” on Richter’s scale. As Richter’s scale is an exponential scale, a quake with a 8.7 magnitude is about tens higher than one with a 8.2 magnitude! More seriously, TF1 said at 8.12 pm it was “more than 8.0”. But at 8.37 pm, TF1 talked about a 8.2 value while it showed pictures from ITV with a value of 8.5. FR2 did the same at 8.41 pm, with the same pictures from ITV (pictures simultaneously showed on CNN) but at that time with the line, in English, "Quake looks to be 8.5". Perhaps the French presenter doesn’t speak English?
In the end, the earthquake had a value of 8.7.
On the other hand, the notion of "special correspondent" deserves a comment. How could TF1 and FR2 have “special correspondents” in Indonesia at the time of the earthquake? A "special correspondent" is a reporter especially sent at the place where something occurs. As reporters cannot go there at the speed of the light and as earthquakes are not predictable, how is it possible? … Only FR2 said its "special correspondent" was in fact in Banda Aceh for another report concerning the previous tsunami, in Dec. 2004.
Press agencies, especially AFP, also wrote their dispatchs in great haste. At 1.14 am, AFP wrote that "the final toll of that disaster could not be less than 300 died", then wrote at 2.24 am "More than 2000 could have died". At 6.39 am, Reuters wrote that the earthquake "could have made almost 1000 died" and at 7.18 am, AFP finally wrote: "First reports said it could have been no people who died"…
In short, everyone rushed at this earthquake, but the final toll of this new disaster would be less than the number of people who die in Africa with AIDS during one week, ... and without one word from AFP, Reuters, FR2 or TF1 during the week!

Thursday, March 24., 10.25 pm - Anxiety...

Anxiety at first for Florence Aubenas, held in Iraq since 78 days, and Hussein Hanoun Al-Saadi of which we always do not know anything. And when I read that at least 80 insurgents dies in only one attack and in only one place, I quivered all the more extremely as it is the exact type of place where they can be held.
Anxiety also for Ingrid Betancourt, held for 1125 days, and whose last news dated March 10, from Raul Reyes, one of the principal persons in charge for the CRAF, had affirmed, in a discussion with the news agency Anncol, which it was "in good health but very anxious about the dead end of the negotiations for her release". He also stated that the current military conditions do not enable him to provide the families with "the evidence of survival of the hostages". My anxiety is all the more important as Ingrid Betancourt is not alone, and that 500 other people are hostages of the CRAF.
Anxiety also born from small nothing, the text that I wrote two days ago on Elmar Husseïnov’s murder, which made me discover the situation of the press in Azerbaidjan: it's a calamity! I imagined to write a very complete file on the azeri situation, but the more I tried to get information, the more I get some... and I will pass a lot of hours to write it;
Always anxiety, following the previous text "Where do the Iraqi pictures come from?" when I wanted to find images to put them on line here as I have done with this Kurdish blogger, and that I realized that they were numerous… with the proviso that one seeks them, that one speaks English, Spanish, Italian or German, and that one has time to search them. And these pictures are terrible... But I will place them here.
Also anxiety when I discover that the French Press Agency claims from Google for the damages they suffer when Google keep in its memory the dispatches of the agency. And this website is filled with hundreds of dispatches from FPA concerning Florence Aubenas, Giuliana Sgrena and all the journalists about whom I speak...
And finally anxiety, when to do a quite simple illustrated report in Algeria on the state of the French cemeteries, I must have a guide and that many areas are likely to have been quite simply prohibited! Fortunately, I should not have the “right to the image” to discharge.

Wednesday, March 23. - Where do the Iraqi pictures come from?

Since three French journalists have been kidnapped in Iraq, the French newspapers, magazines and TV channels do not sent any more journalists there. And they do not order for reports. The free-lance photographers thus go there alone, without guarantee to sell their photographs and true cover in the event of problem.
Currently there are some independent which always goes to Baghdad, but for which images? The few French photographers present in Baghdad did not want to make interview. Olivier Mirguet, for the French radio France-Inter, thus collected the testimony of Laurent Van der Stockt, a photographer specialized with Iraq, who is not gone back there since the elections, last January.

Monday, March 21., 9.50 am - The war and the virtue

He write it better than I would have done it...
Richard Werly in the Swiss daily newspaper Le Temps, dated Monday March 21., 2005. R. Werly stayed several times in Iraq for the Swiss daily newspaper Le Temps - read his "journal de bord".

Kofi Annan "spoke up till today about peace. He speaks now about the requirements to authorize the war, to even start a preventive conflict. One will greet the will of rupture with weak UNO which, from Bosnia to Iraq through Rwanda, showed that it could not impose peace. But this reform will have a price. Even armed, even packed with legal arguments and new definitions, like that proposed against terrorism, UNO will never economise a political negotiation on the military intervention which it is on the point of carrying out. Especially if this one aims to remove a so-called threat. To claim to combine the war with the virtue can be carrying hope. But there is, in this promise, a lie as tragic as the so decreid weakness of the organization. One is delighted for those which UNO will go perhaps finally, a day, to release in Darfour or Congo because the Security Council will have decided it. And one cries for those, from Peijing to Grozny, which will remain out of reach of its Blue helmets."

Sunday, March 20., 10.40 pm

Today, Florence Aubenas has been kidnapped for 74 days. In 2000, two journalists of the French TV channel France 2, Jean-Jacques Garrec and Roland Madura, have also been retained during 74 days by the islamist group Abu Sayyaf on the Indonesian island of Jolo. That formed part of the things that we forget too quickly but those who are held are durably upseted! Thus let us not forget that removals of journalists are well too frequent.
As for the two French journalists George Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot, they should be engaged, respectively by the French daily newspaper Le Figaro and France 2. They had been held during 124 days in Iraq last year, whereas they were there as freelance journalits.
I sent to Libération and to the Committee of support for the release of Florence and Hussein the idea of a contest between schools of graphic art to create posters of support by placarding them on the panels of free expression. I thus created my first poster from the last issue of Libération.

Sunday, March 20, 7.30 pm

Two years that the war in Iraq began. That's nowadays 690 days without news of Frederic Nérac, Florence Aubenas has been kidnapped for 74 days, tens of journalists have been killed, kidnapped or wounded, 1505 US soldiers have been killed and many others from various nationalities, we miss tens of thousands of civilian Iraqi victims, all sufferings which would not exist if the USA had abstained from carrying out this illegitimate war and if another way had been carried out to relieve Saddam Hussein or if the war had been carried out in another way.
Already two years... I believe that it is interesting to find what our newspapers wrote two years ago. I took again with the BBC a press review dated March 19, 2003 (here). If we had fought more extremely against this war, we would not have to struggle violently for the release of Florence Aubenas. We have so many things to carry out: to fight against the AIDS in Africa, for the release of Ingrid Betancourt, against the tyranny of Putin in Chetchnia...

Saturday, March 19, 9.30 pm

Florence is not with us. It is impossible to replace her but there is also impossible to sit idly by waiting for her release. I have just discovered the text read at the time of the Woman’s Day on March 8., by an Israeli woman in the European Parliament. I will have appreciated to read this text in my preferred newspapers. That is not the case. It even seems that no French newspaper has published it, nor no other besides! Then I place this speech here because it deserves a broad audience, much broader than that of the European Parliament (surfers from 23 different nationalities already visited this website..).
Nurit Peled-Elhanan, who is a professor at the university of Jerusalem, founded the association of the Israeli and Palestinian families victims of violences, the "Forum of the plunged into grief families". She is the girl of the General Mattitiyahou Peled who, immediately after the Six Day’s War, militated to restore the occupied West Bank to the Palestinians. Nurit Peled-Elhanan lost her daughter, Smadar, in a Palestinian kamikaze attack in September 1997 and prohibited to Benyamin Netanyaou and to the official Israelis authorities to come to its funerals. Her two sons are refuzniks. Guest on March 8. to talk in front of the European Parliament, here is what she declared:

"Thank you for inviting me to this day. It is always an honour and a pleasure to be here, among you.
However, I must admit I believe you should have invited a Palestinian woman at my stead, because the women who suffer most from violence in my county are the Palestinian women. And I would like to dedicate my speech to Miriam R’aban and her husband Kamal, from Bet Lahiya in the Gazza strip, whose five small children were killed by Israeli soldiers while picking strawberries at the family’s strawberry field. No one will ever stand trial for this murder.
When I asked the people who invited me here why wouldn’t they invite a Palestinian woman the answer was that it would make the discussion too localized.
I don’t know what is non-localized violence. Racism and discrimination may be theoretical concepts and universal phenomena but their impact is always local, and real. Pain is local, humiliation, sexual abuse, torture and death, are all very local, and so are the scars.

It is true unfortunately, that the local violence inflicted on Palestinian women by the government of Israel and the Israeli army, has expanded around the globe, In fact state violence and army violence, individual and collective violence, are the lot of Muslim women today, not only in Palestine but wherever the enlightened western world is setting its big imperialistic foot. It is violence which is hardly ever addressed and which is halfheartedly condoned by most people in Europe and in the USA.
This is because the so-called free world is afraid of the Muslim womb.
Great France of "la Liberté, l’Egalité et la Fraternité" is scared of little girls with head scarfs, Great Jewish Israel is afraid of the Muslim womb which ans its ministers call it a demographic threat. Almighty America and Great Britain are infecting their respective citizens with blind fear of the muslims, who are depicted as vile, primitive and blood-thirsty, apart from their being non-democratic, chauvinistic and mass producers of future terrorists. This in spite of the fact that the people who are destroying the world today are not muslim. One of them is a devout Christian, one is Anglican and one is a non devout Jew.

I have never experienced the suffering Palestinian women undergo every day, every hour, I don’t know the kind of violence that turn a woman’s life into constant hell. This daily physical and mental torture of women who are deprived of their basic human rights and needs of privacy and dignity, women whose homes are broken in at any moment of day and night, who are ordered at a gun-point to strip naked in front of strangers and their own children, whose houses are demolished , who are deprived of their livelihood and of any normal family life. This is not part of my personal ordeal. But I am a victim of violence against women insofar as violence against children is actually violence against mothers. Palestinian, Iraqi, Aphgan women are my sisters because we are all at the grip of the same unscrupulous criminals who call themselves leaders of the free enlightened world and in the name of this freedom and enlightment rob us of our children. Furthermore, Israeli, American, Italian and British mothers have been for the most part violently blinded and brainwashed to such a degree that they cannot realize their only sisters, their only allies in the world are the muslim Palestinian, Iraqi or Aphgani mothers, whose children are killed by our children or who blow themselves to pieces with our sons and daughters. They are all mind-infected by the same viruses engendered by politicians. And The viruses , though they may have various illustrious names such as Democracy. Patriotism. God. Homeland, are all the same. They are all part of false and fake ideologies that are meant to enrich the rich and to empower the powerful.

We are all the victims of mental, psychological and cultural violence that turn us to one homogenic group of bereaved or potentially bereaved mothers. Western mothers who are taught to believe their uterus is a national asset just like they are taught to believe that the Muslim uterus is an international threat. They are educated not to cry out : "I gave him birth, I breast fed him, he is mine, and I will not let him be the one whose life is cheaper than oil, whose future is less worth than a piece of land."
All of us are terrorized by mind-infecting education to believe all we can do is either pray for our sons to come back home or be proud of their dead bodies.
And all of us were brought up to bear all this silently, to contain our fear and frustration, to take prozak for anxiety, but never hail Mama Courage in public. Never be real Jewish or Italian or Irish mothers.

I am a victim of state violence. My natural and civil rights as a mother have been violated and are violated because I have to fear the day my son would reach his 18^th birthday and be taken away from me to be the game tool of criminals such as Sharon, Bush, Blair and their clan of blood-thirsty, oil-thirsty, land thirsty generals.
Living in the world I live in, in the state I live in, in the regime I live in, I don’t dare to offer Muslim women any ideas how to change their lives. I don’t want them to take off their scarves, or educate their children differently, and I will not urge them to constitute Democracies in the image of Western democracies that despise them and their kind. I just want to ask them humbly to be my sisters, to express my admiration for their perseverance and for their courage to carry on, to have children and to maintain a dignified family life in spite of the impossible conditions my world in putting them in. I want to tell them we are all bonded by the same pain, we all the victims of the same sort of violence even though they suffer much more, for they are the ones who are mistreated by my government and its army, sponsored by my taxes.

Islam in itself, like Judaism in itself and Christianity in itself, is not a threat to me or to anyone. American imperialism is, European indifference and co-operation is and Israeli racist and cruel regime of occupation is. It is racism, educational propaganda and inculcated xenophobia that convince Israeli soldiers to order Palestinian women at gun-point to strip in front of their children for security reasons, it is the deepest disrespect for the other that allow American soldiers to rape Iraqi women, that give license to Israeli jailers to keep young women in inhuman conditions, without necessary hygienic aids, without electricity in the winter, without clean water or clean mattresses and to separate them from their breast-fed babies and toddlers. To bar their way to hospitals, to block their way to education, to confiscate their lands, to uproot their trees and prevent them from cultivating their fields.
I cannot completely understand Palestinian women or their suffering. I don’t know how I would have survived such humiliation, such disrespect from the whole world. All I know is that the voice of mothers has been suffocated for too long in this war-stricken planet. Mothers’ cry is not heard because mothers are not invited to international forums such as this one. This I know and it is very little. But it is enough for me to remember these women are my sisters, and that they deserve that I should cry for them, and fight for them. And when they lose their children in strawberry fields or in on filthy roads by the checkpoints , when their children are shot on their way to school by Israeli children who were educated to believe that love and compassion are race and religion dependent, the only thing I can do is stand by them and their betrayed babies, and ask what Anna Akhmatova, another mother who lived in a regime of violence against women and children, had asked :
Why does that streak o blood, rip the petal of you cheek?"

Saturday, March 19, 8.15 am

Jean-Christmas Cuénod published on March 18., in the Swiss daily newspapers “La Tribune de Genève”, an interesting point of view: "Stern Investigation: towards a monopoly of the image?"
"First of all cheer! The work provided by the murder squad under the direction of the examining magistrate Michel-Alexandre Graber is exemplary. That’s excellence to elucidate in a so clear way and in so little time an investigation as media as that of Stern’s death. On the other hand, the choice established by the examining magistrate to privilege television is open to criticism. It granted to the French-speaking Switzerland chain an interview which it refused with the press. A press which to get one laconic press release. Usually, when a great number of reporters are activated on the same extreme subject, justice organizes press conferences so that each journalist can ask his questions. That raises, not only of the equal treatment but also of the reliability of disseminated information. The case of Stern’s murder is, in this respect, illuminating. An international news agency delivered, Wednesday afternoon, the name of the suspect one. This identity was not the right one. That meant serious disadvantages. Admittedly, the error was corrected. But it could have been promptly corrected, if the question had immediately been asked at the time of a press conference.
In the future, it would be wise not to resort more to this monopoly of the image."
An interesting point of view that should be meditate in the schools of journalism... However remains to know if the banker were indeed assassinated as described by justice or it is not a very skilfully disguised murder?

Thursday, March 17, 7.40 pm

Do information and the analysis have give precedence to commercial soliciting and to ethic?
The question is asked in the last issue of the French monthly magazine "Manière de Voir" and only for this answer, that is worth to buy this special issue.
I only listen to the radio those days, and I have the impression that one falls down in the lapse of memory for Florence Aubenas...

Sunday, March 13, 10.05 pm

During fifty days we did not receive any information about Florence Aubenas who disappeared with her guide in Iraq. The family and the friends of the French journalist Fred Nerac, who had also disappeared in south of Iraq in March 2003, never heard of him for two years, and for several months the close relations of the French journalist Guy-Andre Kieffer, disappeared in Ivory-Coast in October 2004, are in the same situation.
As Federico Andreu says: “For the family, the disappeared person is neither in hell neither in the paradise, neither dead nor alive, he (or she) is in the limbs. It is the only offence where the close relations are also regarded as victims, considering the sufferings which theirs are inflicted ".
Thus the Commission of the Human Rights who opens tomorrow in Switzerland, in Geneva, is very important, this crime (which relates to tens of thousands of victims and million of families) is still not being punished. The goal of these working sessions is thus to found a legal way that allow to condemn this crime on the international plane. Seventy four countries are concerned, of which some are with the headlines of the topicality (or should to be!): Nepal, Chetchnia, Russia, Algeria, Congo, Iraq...

It was a particular moment yesterday evening when I spoke to 500 people (not so easy to be on stage!) to invite them not to forget Florence Aubenas, Hussein Hanoun Al-Saadi and Ingrid Bettancourt at the time of a musical spectacle. After the spectacle, people whom I never heard came to see me and say a lot of small sentences: "It is very well what you said", "These things are really important things", or "It had to be said, thank you to have said it"...
Let us hope these spectators have become aware for defending the freedom of the press. Let us hope Florence Aubenas has heard the noise made by these 1000 brass bands!

Friday, March 11, 4.10 pm - It’s a matter of numbers…

In its edition dated March 11, the French daily newspaper Le Monde indicates on page 3, under the title "Several attacks and murder attempts killed 34 people in Iraq", that "34 people were killed, Wednesday March 9 and Thursday morning March 10 in Iraq, including four in an attack-suicide in Baghdad and three police officers in an ambush in the capital. In the west of the country, close to Qaïm, on the Syrian border, 30 bodies riddled with bullets were discovered. Five rebels moreover were killed and five others wounded in confrontations with Iraqi soldiers in the area of Iskandariyah, to approximately 50 km in the south of Baghdad (...)."
The title should have been "64 people were killed...". Because the "30 bodies riddled with bullets" were not counted the day of their death as we were unaware of that they had been killed. And they are not counted today as that they did not die today... Then... they do not appear in the title. However, "34 people died" and "64 people died", it is far from being the same thing!
Lastly, since it’s a war in Iraq, the rebels must be entered in number of deaths. Thus 34 + 30 + 5 = 69 war dead. Perhaps, someone will think that’s only a detail there. Admittedly, but the title "Several attacks and murder attempts killed 34 people in Iraq" is the fourth headline of page 3 of Le Monde. Any reader of this daily newspaper sees it inevitably. "Several attacks and murder attempts killed 69 people in Iraq" is more veracious and is also a more convincing argument. Because what did we make today to avoid that?

On this same page, an article treats of the situation in Nepal, a subject about which I already spoke here. And the article concludes with these terrible words: "The villagers, caught between Nepali power and Maoist terror, have very to fear of a conflict which proceeds in zones where the press is strictly censured". Thus let us greet the courage of Francoise Chipaux, the special correspondent of Le Monde to Katmandou (and read her article in Le Monde dated Friday March 11!)

Thursday, March 10, 10.25 pm - "Never in a free Chechnya, a Chechen woman will be obliged to wear the veil"

With the release of Giuliana Sgrena, the death of Nicola Calipari involved the most insane assumptions, of which that the American soldiers really made fire on the journalist. This assumption is officially rejected by the American authorities -whereas the US General George Casey asks for four weeks to close the investigation- and it was also on Tuesday rejected by the chief of the Italian diplomacy Gianfranco Fini. He considers that this assumption is "completely unfounded". And yet...
In all impunity, the Russian services killed on Wednesday the former Chechen president Aslan Maskhadov, a man who had just called for the aid UNO, the European Union and the democratic governments of the European Countries to break the opposition to progress on the Chechen problem! A man who denounced Islamism, the taking of hostages and who said "Never in a free Chechnya, a Chechen woman will be obliged to wear the veil"... The moderate leader Maskhadov was thus killed in a military operation officially carried out by Russia’s special forces … and the whole world remains silent.
Then with such a murder - Maskhadov was a president -, why the American army wouldn’t have cut down Giuliana Sgrena for the reason she had inquired into Falloujah and she has discovered the possible use of gas, a fact already denounced by the Venezuelian president Hugo Chavez, also threatened to him of death?

Wednesday, March 09, 10.10 pm

Completely unimaginable on French television, such is what has been diffused by TV Iraqi channel Al-Iraqiya, on February 24., 2005: two "terrorists", whom it is reproached assassinations and kidnappings, are interviewed on a set of television. It looks like a police court, and they directly accuse Syria. The interviewer insists strenuously on the concept of "collaboration" with Syria, so that that perspires the parody.
For a responsible Western televiewer, the programme adds more questions than it does answer.
Then information or indoctrination, handling or reality? Each one will judge. I have translated the broadcast in French and the text is also in English. Some Iraqis think that all is indoctrination (here).

Monday, March 07, 9.50 am

This information is perhaps not directly linked with the kidnapping of Florence Aubenas…: "the US forces in Iraq had used mustard and nerve gas during their assault on Fallujah last year". (here)
So, if it’s true, what do we do?
And if it is true, then Giuliana Sgrena and Florence Aubenas which inquire about refugees from Falloujah must know that awful point... Then, we can understand when Giuliana Sgrena said that US forces drew to her above voluntarily.
And if all the above points are false, why do the Iraqi Minister for health and Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, proclaim it? If it’s wrong, why do they lie?
One of these two assertions is inevitably wrong. But which? So one is right. It’s terrific!

Sunday, March 6, 4.10 pm. - Who knows?

And if the US soldiers had really wanted to shot down Giuliana Sgrena as she said or her friend has said? And if the kidnapping of Florence Aubenas was a jumble of franco-French political and Syrian affairs as said an Arab journalist on February 12.? And if Al Zarkawi had really been stopped and that he is kept waiting for the installation of a new Iraqi government as the Albawaba newspaper reports today? ...
No, let us see, all that cannot be serious!
Though... who knows?

Saturday, March 05., 10.10 am.

Sometimes we take roads without knowing exactly where that will leads us.
It is exactly what it’s happening to me. At the beginning, I wanted to compile the messages of support for Florence Aubenas in a book. Then, I wanted to translate them so that the Iraqis can read them. Then it became a website and a blog. And now, with the last events, I must write two or three daily updates and the site exceeded the 100.000 words... I did not anticipated such a volume.

Wednesday, March 03., 2 pm. - Do I have to swallow a lie?

Do we have the right to do anything, all to say, all to accept when the life of somebody is concerned?
Admittedly by addressing through this theatrical way to French deputy Didier Julia, the French Prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin scandalized me and scandalized many people (to read here). This deputy yesterday so disparaged by Jean-Pierre Raffarin… The Prime minister could nevertheless have acted differently! Doing thus, was he addressing to the kidnappers? I have evil to believe it. As if the kidnappers were glued in front of the French TV channels, stopping with such a declaration, incompetents of reading and hearing all the contributions and thoughts of the French press...
Then to which? Surely not to the French population.
I very do not understand. But I refuse to swallow anything with the pretext that the life of a person is concerned.

Wednesday, March 02., 11 pm.

To testify or to be killed?
Thirty-six hours were passed since Florence reappeared. I tried to reflect calmly. Not quite simple.
I do not understand this 10 days deadline to study the video tape. One does not need such an amount of time to do this. Either, it’s to save time with the takers of hostages, but I believe that they should not be taken for too stupids, or it’s to save time with the French public opinion, and if it’s really that, why?
Then, why to have hidden to the public opinion that information had already come on Thursday?
Then, Didier Julia. If, as I imagine it, the kidnappers of Florence have changed, why the French government lets trail this blur?
Lastly, why not diffuse this video tape? If the attacks of September 11 had not been "on line", there never would have been such an awakening of terrorism. If there had not been Westerners killed and some video tapes from Pukhet, Banda Atjeh and Sri Lanka in December 2004, the wave of solidarity would have been very different for the tsunami. The video of Florence is not "hard" like was the video tape of Nick Berg, not degrading like the one of Afid or Budiyanto with men who threaten them, Florence does not cry like Giuliana Sgrena did... As said Serge July, "that is painful to see, somebody who suffers". That’s always painful to see! I think that these images should be shown so that people should mobilized. Moreover I complained about the inexorable decreasing of the messages of support on the forums, and yesterday, March 1, more than 60 messages were deposited in one half-day! It is necessary that the public is conscious of the infringements of the elementary rights of the democracy. When will we have a demonstration in Paris, for Florence, with 100.000 people? Thus, I have choosen to place the video of Florence on the site Tuesday at the beginning of evening. Some Iraqis saw it. Would they have seen it differently? And then, the French weekly New Observer also put it on line. I believe that it is necessary.
Of course, some said to me: "One cannot diffuse that on TV channels... if children see that...". I say: "Yes, well… the parents and the journalists can explain". Then one says to me: "And if the children are alone in front of the TV?" Then there,... it is not any more the same problem: if children are alone in front of the TV, it is a problem of civilization, education, or family... It is not a problem of journalism and a problem concerning the diffusion of the images. One also says to me: "I do not want to see that"...
Right, but is it because the eyes are veiled that misery, hatred, violence or exclusion disappear? The French weekly newspaper Paris-match said "the shock of the photographs". Yes, some images are violent, but I also wonder if there are so much questions when it acts of the blood of Arab illiterate poor people elsewhere than on our national ground...
Now, the DGSE (the French secret services) raises the question to know why this video was shown on TV... And why wouldn't it have been shown? After all, it is normal that the citizens of the world know that there are bug*** who kidnap, plunder, violent, kill, swindle other citizens. For myself, that does not appear to be shocking. It is almost the question of the DGSE which hurts me... Why do they raise this question? Because it’s usual for them that we were not informed about the previous video? It is like that I see a democracy…

I read an article of Iskander Debbache, an Algerian journalist with whom Florence Aubenas was in contact (to be read in the wire of information here). It’s a very disconcerting matter "Florence inquired, more of the preceding taking of hostages of the French in Iraq George Chesnot and Christian Malbrunot, not only into the violently disputed role of Didier Julia and the polemic who had followed from there but also on the shady behavior and far from convincing of the French Minister for the Foreign Affairs Michel Barnier with regard to Didier Julia", a texte that has been written on February 12, well before the last events.
What to think of that? Iskander Debbache seems to be a reliable source.
Humm, humm...
And if Florence was placed in the case of Palacios Sanchez, killed to have denounced? (here)

And then, the position of the French government on Didier Julia (to read here). To release Florence, do we have all to accept? Do we have to agree to join the enemies of yesterday to keep going on today? It’s a right question. Spontaneously, I would say "no".
All around me, I only hear people who say "yes". I would not be efficient in politics if it is the behavior which it is necessary to have. Do you will really know about the French deputy Julia? And when? At the sight of what one really does know, how to judge him?
Florence wrote in an article published on February 8, 2001, in connection with Algeria "The dirty war - Only one logic: to kill or be killed". The country has changed, a few years passed, but the war is still so dirty. Let us hope that Florence will not unfortunately live a logic too much topicality: "To testify or to be killed"...

Tuesday, March 01., 1.30 pm.

Florence Aubenas is alive. That is the positive point of the video-tape received this morning by Reuters-Baghdad.
For the negative points, they are any number of them. At first, one does not speak about Hussein Hannoun. Why? Then, there is no claim, that's very odd, even absolutely single. Florence - who is not half-witted- speaks about Didier Julia. Why him? Does exist a connection with the position of France regarding what happens in Lebanon? and since we learned that last Thursday a CD-Rom had been sent to the family, Florence wouldn't have been exchanged between gangster groups, the new kidnappers being close to Syria, therefore with Didier Julia? There are really many interrogations which obscure the fact that she is alive…
Transcription of the interview of Serge July on the French radio channel France Inter here (in French)
Interview from French Foreign Affairs Minister Michel Barnier on France Inter here (in French)
The new from Reuters in Baghdad on March 1., 6.10 am. here (in English)

Tuesday, March 01., 11.20 am.

A biggest satisfaction today with the Kurdish site which placed the photograph of Florence in top of its page! http://kurdo.blogspot.com/ Brilliant! that suits me right to the heart. The remarks on the case "Aubenas" are also very nice. At least, I will not have loose my time.
I am astonished by the reactions around "my" website. In spite of the fact that Iraq is a recurring subject of our news bulletins since 2 and half years, nobody is really interested in it and people are astonished by the remarks contained in the blogs which I translated. That encourages me to continue.
The Royal Nepalese Army, which assisted King Gyanendra’s February 1. seizure of power, is responsible for a widespread pattern of enforced disappearances, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today (here). Human Rights Watch called on the king and the army to immediately end the practice of “disappearances” and to take concrete steps to hold perpetrators accountable. At present, ONU is watching towards Lebanon, so the King Gyanendra has a nice quiet for a long time, on the more nobody cares about Nepal…
One speaks again of Ingrid Betancourt with an offer: a chief of the guerrilla extradited to the United States and several hundreds of combatants against 63 hostages, of which Ingrid Betancourt. A hope?

Monday, February 28.,

Inescapable lapse of memory? Ow! ow, ow... Even those who should be present, I think of the readers of the French daily newspaper Libération, become increasingly quiet... There are less and less messages of support on the forum. Less than 10 per day since ten days... There was almost 20 in the mid-February and nearly 60 at the beginning of the month. Right, the state of health of the Pope, the project of the treaty for an European Constitution, the apartment of the French Minister Gaymard, the large coldest temperatures in France, … right, I understand, but that’s not a reason! Soon 1500 US soldiers who died in Iraq. Is it clearly necessary to be spread out as much over the health of the Pope or the errors of the minister? Is the life such a road roller that one already forgets Florence?
And then 105 persons killed in Iraq (in the same attack!!!), that is number six on the wire of information of AOL after the "spectacular fall of the temperatures" in France... or the fact that the film of Christophe Barratier was not preceded with the Oscars in Hollywood! Who chooses this classification?
Fortunately, at the time of this ceremony of the Oscars, the French actress Isabelle Adjani has made a point of mentioning in her speech the journalist Florence Aubenas, "who has disappeared for 51 days", but also in particular the hostage both French and Colombian Ingrid Betancourt. She said: "I hope that the Night of the Césars will make some noise against the lapse of memory". I hope so!

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Sunday, February 27.,

From an AFP's new: "According to doctors, a journalist of the American television of Arab language Al-Hurra, Mohammad Ali Sherif, was seriously wounded and his driver killed in an attack Friday in Iskandariyah, in the south of Baghdad." We will no more speak about...
And 22 persons killed in Iraq the 24th, 16 who died on the 25th and 12 more the 26. And unfortunately, no news from Florence Aubenas!
On the French TV TF1, the ex-minister Gaymard tried to explain what happened with his appartment. A great moment of journalism as I like them...: he said that the weekly newspaper Paris-Match lied, he said he is a victim and this ass of Claire Chazal didn’t do her job of journalist... What a deep sadness! I can't understand how a TV channel can accept that.

Friday, February 25.,

I deposited a new message on the site of Libération:
Florence, Hussein,
I have translated into English several hundreds of the messages posted here, so that the Iraqis can read them. Perhaps you know that in Iraq bloggers published the texts I sent to them or they have spoken about you. Then, I translated Iraqi texts. I hope that your kidnappers speak English and thus they will be able to understand the formidable dash of generosity which crosses France and the extremely serious error that they make while tackling the pillar of the freedom which you are! Quickly return us: it is necessary that somebody will deliver Ingrid Betancourt... and I thought of you.

Some words, on France Inter’s news at 7 pm. for Florence and Hussein. Whew!

Wednesday, Februray 24.,

Yesterday, one spoke a little about Ingrid Bettancourt and her three years of detention. I expected that one speaks again of Florence Aubenas. Hardly or even not, according to as one analyzes....
Today, one speaks again about thanks to Robert Ménard. Fortunately he is there. It speaks again of hope... but there are in fact always nothing new. How to fight when the adversary is not known? I retranscribed information... to try to see whether there were something new:
France Inter - 1h24 pm:
Fifty days that we have no news from them: Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi guide, Hussein Hanoun Al-Saadi. Hey well, they still would be alive; it is at least what announces Reporters-without-Borders: "some tangible elements allow to think so" explains the general secretary of RSF, Robert Ménard. Listen to him:
"There aren’t new information. All information we have go in the same direction, i.e. for the moment... Florence and Hussein would be... between the hands of a group which is a little structured group, which is... a group more gangster than a political group and her would be... they would be in good health, not immediately in danger. That’s what we wants to retain of all... of all that we say to us. Now, unfortunately, that doesn’t want to say that we enter into negotiations. For the moment, there aren’t, there were still no claims and we don’t have -in what we call …a jargon, the jargon of the taking of hostages- a +stabilized intermediate +, i.e. people who brings you indisputable evidence of the life of the hostages".

Fortunately thanks to another exceptional woman, Maud Fontenoy who crosses rowing the Pacific ocean (she is half-way through the race, "semi-martyrdom" as wrote The Humanity – a French newspaper- today... but Maud chose this event, Florence didn’t!), in the second part of the information, one spoke again of Florence, following a question of Pierre-Louis Castelli:
France-Inter - 1h37 pm:
PLC: "I read this morning, on Internet, in your ship’log, Maud, that you had a thought for Florence Aubenas and Ingrid Bettancourt... You wanted that we kept more mobilized for these two persons... Thus so far in the Pacific Ocean do you think of these two women?"
MF: "Let me say that I nevertheless try to keep a little bit up to date with the topicality. We speak today much about the women, much of the women who make adventure, and it is true that... there are others women who are not put in top of the poster and who are also exceptional women, who fight for ideals, who put all their energy and their enthusiasm and it’s necessary that we also think to these persons".
To follow Maud Fontenoy: her website

Tuesday, February 22.,

Alawys the silence for what happen's for Florence Aubenas.
On the morning section of information of France-Inter, on the most listened part, the time section of 06h45 with 07h30, I could'nt heard a word woncerning the journalist... Moreover Iraq got only one short quotation, in connection with the Bush-Chirac meeting. Why is it really impossible to slip "Today, there are 48 days that...". That means a maximum of 5 to 6 seconds... I have sent a mail to Stephane Paoli on this subject. The more is he knows Florence... Nevertheless, not any word about her from 06h45 to 09h05, that means during 2h20, it is hefty! It is all the more "hefty" that during the newspaper of 1h00 pm, one passed from the Lebanese crisis to the Iranian drama (an earthquake) by forgetting Iraq... which is right in the middle!

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Monday, Februray 21.,

Thus the two Indonesian hostages have been released. Better late than never! But that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for our journalist. That consolidates me in the idea that we didn’t give all we have got from the very start. Admittedly, for Florence, there was not a claim... But after all, after 48 hours, our president could - as did the Indonesian president- to come to the defense of this journalist rather than to adopt the attitude "we do not communicate but we work". And, now, what’s the result?
All the more so since, as a balance, the abductions are continuing in Iraq... Two released journalists and another, a journalist Iraqi, a woman (they are rare in this country) removed in Mosul with her child... Only one information with Associated Press. Nothing with AFP!

In connection with “communication”, that relating to the European vote for a project of constitution is rather curious... There are official statements on the radio but they are particularly "selected", even false because they are severely troncated ... Several spots are diffused.
One of these concerns the article number 47 (on page 35 from a document you cant get here): "Not less than one million citizens may take the initiative of inviting the Commission, within the framework of its powers, to submit any appropriate proposal on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required", but the article 47 alinéa 4 as it is edited on the website of the European Community is the following (I have underlined with the orange colour the missing parts): “Not less than one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States may take the initiative of inviting the Commission, within the framework of its powers, to submit any appropriate proposal on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the Constitution. European laws shall determine the provisions for the procedures and conditions required for such a citizens' initiative, including the minimum number of Member States from which such citizens must come.” And that’s not the same… because the “required conditions” are not described!

Another example we can hear at least one time per day (then several times per week...): "Article 329 of the new European constitution: "Should a Member State be the object of a terrorist attack or the victim of a natural or man-made disaster, the other Member States shall assist it at the request of its political authorities. To that end, the Member States shall coordinate between themselves in the Council.". All these sentences are read with a sympathic and very nice voice as those of the "Airport of Paris", a sound for travels and holidays, as the voice of Marie-Pierre Planchon for the sea weather forecast on France Inter. As one used to sing us to sleep. It's perhaps the desired goal besides...
I have to precise that is not a "new European constitution" but a "project for an European constitutional treaty", and that's totally different!
Here is the kind of a very consensual purpose. Who won't say "yes" to this type of declaration??? The more is that it can be heard between two advertisings, the weather or the Stock Exchange rates. Then we only keep in mind the words "terrorist attack" "natural disaster" and "assist", and that it is highly federator...
As for the first example, the end of the phrase is missing: "To that end, the Member States shall coordinate between themselves in the Council."...."... and this article counts 3 paragraphs. We only heard the first one. Is that real and true information? We would have heard: "Article 329, first paragraph, of the ..."
I add that the website indicated in the "advertising" spot enables you to read the constitution. It’s not easy at all: try to find in less than two minutes the article 329 (click here). Of course, it’s impossible! You can order it for free to quietly divide into sheets this document of 475 pages...

Of course, if they had read the article 296/3: "In fulfilling his or her mandate, the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs shall be assisted by a European External Action Service. This service shall work in cooperation with the diplomatic services of the Member States and shall comprise officials from relevant departments of the General Secretariat of the Council and of the Commission as well as staff seconded from national diplomatic services of the Member States. The organisation and functioning of the European External Action Service shall be established by a European decision of the Council. The Council shall act on a proposal from the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs after consulting the European Parliament and after obtaining the consent of the Commission.", the result would be that we will vote "no"... because it's totally incomprehensible!

Then instead of 296/3, we can hear the article 97: "A high level of environmental protection and the improvement of the quality of the environment must be integrated into the policies of the Union and ensured in accordance with the principle of sustainable development.". Don’t be too romantic! When we heard it, we only kept in memory the words "quality of the environment", "environmental protection" or "sustainable development"... But when we read carefully this text, it is indicated "must be integrated"... which means they aren’t!

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Sunday, Februray 20.,

I've finished my website. I've choosen to realize it all with html pages, with no Javascripts. So that, it can be seen all over Iraqi areas, where it has to been read at first (then may be one day in Iran or Syria as facts are going wrong with these two countries...). So it's not up-to-date technology but there is no broadband coonection in Iraq and I do not wish that readers have to wait to get the information (even if they have a 28,8ko dial-up connection).
I still received messages from Iraq. I did not think that this initiative would receive such a reception. I do not even know how much Iraqi websites published my letter. At least 14, since I’ve identified 14 of them. It will be necessary that I add a page for the messages which I received because they all support (and condemn) the detention of Florence.
A journalist transmitted to me an interview made by RFI of the chief of drafting of Libération which was in Rome for the demonstration for the release of Giuliana Sgrena (to read the AFP dispatch: here): "It is not the same form of mobilization than in France. It is rather meetings, and support’s evenings. It is a solidarity more burst in Paris and in the provincial towns. It is not like it is in France, but because Italy is implied in Iraq makes the things different from the French situation. I discover and I understand that in Italy the two things are dependent: the request of the release of Giuliana Sgrena and the request of peace in Iraq and the withdrawal of the troops."
Still no news from Florence Aubenas but 27 people died in Iraq yesterday... although Associated Press said 55 deaths! I've found a few words concerning Florence on an Indonesian website. I was afraid that was only a Franco-French affair... (the Indonesian text can be read here). And on RFI, at least during the night, one talks from Florence Aubenas at each news bulletin! That means two times per hour; and that, it is rather a good think not to forget.

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Friday, Februray 18.,

The unknown persists with Florence Aubenas. Two new journalists kidnapped in Iraq, Indonesian ones this time...
An attack in front of a mosque with 18 persons who died. It is the horrible banality in Iraq. By a curious coincidence, I put the hand on 2 different pictures, one presented by CNN and the other one by Al-Alrabiya: it's very interesting! An example on the communication and its ideology that must be studied at schools (see here).
Concerning the Lebanon, this time, France could be in the bad camp since Hariri was a buddy of Chirac...

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Thursday, February 17.,

Good,... I believe that it will be necessary that I register my website in the duration... When I listed to the news on the radio, Robert Ménard was not very encouraging (but, it is not him, that’s the French foreing affairs minister). That hits me a little bit more... At the beginning, all this was almost sympathetic: to make a book with the supporting messages for Florence with the AFP dispatches. In the first page-setting, I had even programmed the end of the story for February 4... I had spent one sleepless night because I felt that this kidnapping would not last. But there, it will be the miracle of the millenium if Florence returns home in a few days...! (see the transcription of information here). There is nothing of encouraging and it is not the version of the French minister of defense, Alliot-Marie, who will change the situation: "We do our very best to obtain their release". It would be necessary that it speaks to Raffarin or Barnier about that... I am neither the father of Florence, neither her brother, neither her husband, nor her boss but these people deserve an immense respect for the situation in which one places them... It must be a situation for becoming insane!
In the Parisian (a French daily newspaper), the article that speaks about the speech of the minister on France Inter does not really retranscribe the tone and gives more hope than the reality of the speech does... (read the article)
And then, there’s more and more a smell of burning with Syria and Iran which speak to join forces against Condolezza Rice, who says that she does not come to a conclusion about the possibility of (military) sanctions against these two countries... In other words, other innocent victims, other killed or wounded childrens, other journalists who would be hostages or victims...

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Wednesday, February 16 - In the heart of the night

Michel Barnier was invited in the radio talk-show of Pierre Le Marc "Res Publica" (excellent emission!) on France Inter with the weekly newspaper Express. What I heard was so much awful that I have entirely retransmitted all the sentences with a highest precision :
A question from Hélène Jouan (France-Inter): "We could seen a video tape with the Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena on it (...). Do you have real information that Florence Aubenas and her guide are still alive?"
The ministre answers:"... Florence Aubenas and ... Hussein Hannoun are missing for several weeks. At first, I want to say... I think it's... tremendous... the dignity, ... the courage of their families. I think incredible the permanent mobilization from Libération, ... her newpaper, ... from all of you, her colleagues...
This mobilization is very important to ... to stay vigilant, to say... that you are, that we attache a great value to the democracy in the heart of which lies the liberty of expression, of comments, the freedom of the journalists to give us account of what happens... including the most dangerous situations and ...
You have simply to know, because your question expresses a concern, that the French authorities, our services, our diplomats, in Baghdad and in Paris are mobilized. We are mobilized exactly as we were for Christian Chesnot and George Malbrunot, since the first day. We work so that they return back to their house as soon as possible. Here is what I can say.."

A question from Luc Lemonnier (France-Inter):"Minister, are you reass... are you assured that they really are alive?"
And the minister answered: "... ... We have got indication... euh... that give us hope... they could be back one day. Here is waht I can say."

A question from Michel Felten (L'Express): "There is another French woman who is hostage in another area of the world, Mr Barnier, which one will celebrate, if I dare, three years of captivity in a few days, I mean Mrs Betancourt. Do you have some news to give us about her?"
Réponse du ministre:"Vous savez, nous parlons de Florence Aubenas et je vous ai dit notre détermination pour qu'ils reviennent le plus vite possible à la maison... Je parle de Florence Aubenas et Hussein Hannoun... Nous sommes mobilisés de la même manière dans tous ces cas...
Par exemple, Fred Nérac dont nous n'avons toujours pas de nouvelles et pour lequel nous voulons la vérité; nous la demandons aux autorités irakiennes. Et naturellement Ingrid Betancourt que je connais, que j'avais rencontré à Bruxelles avant son enlèvement. Là aussi nous travaillons. Ce sont des circonstances difficiles: ni en Irak, ni partout ailleurs dans le monde, ces situations se ressemblent. Les raisons de ces enlèvements, de ces disparitions ne sont pas les mêmes. Les raisons de ceux qui provoquent de telles disparitions ne sont pas les mêmes et donc... la manière de traiter, de dialoguer, de nouer des fils est forcèment différente. Elle l'est en Irak. On voit bien que les situations ne sont pas les mêmes et elle l'est naturellement quand il s'agit d'un pays d'Amérique du Sud."

Autrement dit, on ne sait rien. On n'a jamais rien su... J'en ai des frissons. Même si à 22h24, toujours sur France Inter, José Arthur dans l'émission "le Pop Club" a déclaré à son invité (qui connaît Florence): "je crois qu'il y a un petit espoir"... Vu les propos du ministre, il me paraît bien faible cet espoir.

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Mercredi 16 février

Des nouvelles de l'otage italienne au travers d'une vidéo: cela commence à ressembler à l'affaire Baldoni. Je suis inquiet. Un communiqué l'avait donné pour assassinée, puis un autre pour prochainement libérée...
Rien de neuf concernant Florence. Lundi, à l'émission de Stéphane Bern sur France Inter, un journaliste a indiqué que l'on "ne savait rien", il a parlé de "noir absolu", mais il a aussi dit qu'on avait la certitude qu'elle était vivante (comment? par qui? pourquoi? ... on ne sait pas). Mais il a aussi parlé du rapt de Sgrena et a dit que dans le cas de Sgrena et Aubenas, on ne savait rien parce que dans le cas des rapts politiques, on ne savait rien rapidement. Ce qui est totalement faux. D'abord dans le cas de G. Sgrena puisqu'on l'a su le jour même -moins de 8 heures plus tard exactement- (voir les dépêches d'agence ici), ensuite parce que les rapts politiques revendiqués rapidement sont légion en Irak et qu'au maximum en 10 jours, les preneurs d'otages se sont manifestés. En conclusion, je doute du reste de son propos... La seule chose qui relie Giuliana à Florence, c'est le fait qu'elles aient été enquêté sur les déplacés de Falloujah. Or Falloujah et ce qui s'y est vraiment passé ne doit pas être très glorieux pour les forces de la Coalition...
J'ai écouté le concert retransmis sur Monte Carlo Moyen Orient (le site RMC-MO). Cela me semble plus efficace pour contacter Florence que les messages de Libé. Le concert doit être rediffusé... tous les lundis jusqu'au 14 mars. Optimiste!?? Cela n'est pas très encourageant pour Florence, si elle l'apprend, que de découvrir que l'on a programmé cela pour encore 5 semaines!! Je regrette cependant le ton "convenu" des prises de paroles, du genre "je suis content que vous soyez là"... Eh bien, non, moi je ne suis pas content du tout!!!!! Parce que s'il y eu ce concert, c'est justement parce qu'une journaliste est otage. Comment se réjouir de cela? En plus, je ne comprends pas pourquoi ce concert n'a pas été fait avant et enfin, pourquoi il est retransmis chaque lundi sur RMC et pas une fois le lundi, une fois le mardi, etc. Je regrette aussi de ne pas avoir entendu le nom de Kieffer, Nérac, Betancourt ou encore ceux de Peyton, Khazaal ou Sanchez. Ou du Népal.
Hier soir, il y avait un documentaire très intéressant sur Arte, réalisés par 2 journalistes suisses, Jean-Philippe Ceppi et Michel Heiniger, "Guerriers à louer". Edifiant sur le chaos qui règne en Irak. Je vais étudier la possibilité que les internautes puisse le visionner sur ce site (avec une traduction) parce je crois que ce genre de chose ne repassera plus nulle part alors qu'il aurait fallu le diffuser en prime-time sur TF1. Mais ce n'était pas politiquement correct... Surtout le premier reportage d'Eugène Jarecki, "Le nerf de la guerre" où l'on entendait dire (à propos des USA et de la politique du Pentagone): "ils veulent répandre la démocratie dans le monde à la pointe des baïonnettes" ou (à propos du complexe militaro-industriel américain) "Si la guerre devient aussi rentable, je vous garantis qu'on la fera plus souvent".

Je déplore aussi l'invasion sur les ondes et dans les journaux des propos tenus envers la Syrie (surtout depuis l'assassinat d'Hariri à Beyrouth) et l'Iran. Comme si les mass-medias nous préparaient à de nouvelles invasions de telles façons que le jour où cela arrivera, nous n'ayons plus qu'à dire: "tiens, je croyais que cette guerre était commencée depuis longtemps...!"
Enfin une contribution sur un blog turc est édifiante: à voir ici.

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Dimanche 13 février

Encore d'autres réponses d'Irak. Le mot "for God" revient presque toujours.
Il n'y a plus qu'à attendre... Je relancerai avec un autre texte vendredi prochain. Charlotte m'a dit qu'elle avait les mêmes appréhensions que moi. Pourvu que nous nous trompions. En tout cas, elle a fait ce que j'imaginais : photographier les affichages pour Florence et Hussein dans le métro. Je compte mettre de telles images sur le site auquel je réfléchis. J'ai trouvé un nom rapidement : Lexane. Cela ne veut rien dire de prime abord, mais c'est un nom rare sur le web, et cela s'orthographie dans toutes les langues sans trop d'hésitations. L'étymologie remonte au grec, au mot "alexein" qui signifie "repousser". Pour "repousser ceux qui agressent la liberté d'expression et les journalistes".

Encore un message d'un bloggeur iraquien qui me touche beaucoup :
I was deeply touched by your words. I hope your friend comes back safe and sound to those who love her. I also hope that one day decency, honour and true democracy and those people standing for those noble ideals will prevail.
I don't think I am as "perplexed" as I was in August regarding those people who are doing those horrible things to people who are innocent and to decent people who are defending Iraq by the way of letting the world know of what is happening in this sad country. I am calling these people 'The forces of darkness'. Their agenda cannot be noble.
I will try and post something on this.
We can only hope for the best. I can assure you that I know how you feel. I have personally suffered a number of losses during this ordeal. I know that I will always feel some of those losses to the end of my days.
Be Strong.
Warm wishes,
Abu Khaleel.

Ma lettre a été publiée sur un des 2 ou 3 plus importants blogs irakiens : Live from Baghdad. C'est un de ceux que je visite régulièrement depuis le 7 janvier et je sais que beaucoup de journaux occidentaux le fréquentent. Celui-là, c'est sûr, les islamistes, les terroristes, les voyous doivent le visiter parce qu'il édite un max d'infos. C'est même quasiment une espèce d'agence de presse : résultat des élections, reprise d'articles de la presse US, ajouts multiples plusieurs fois par jour, ... Ce soir on y parle déjà du premier ministre et du futur président irakien. (vers le blog Live from Baghdad).
J'ai aussi vu la lettre adressée à Florence sur un blog à Mosul (vers le blog A star from Mosul). Après Baghdad, Basrah, Amman, voilà maintenant Mosul. Pourquoi ne pas l'avoir fait avant? Ce sont des blogs qui affichent des centaines de visites. Donc des centaines de personnes en Irak et dans la région ont vu ces mots. Pourvu qu'ils parviennent à Florence ou aux ravisseurs!
Ce n'est cependant pas l'avis de la bloggeuse (bientôt17 ans) qui affiche même sur son blog que "Well, I doubt it will get to her, because if the terrorists read my blog, I would've been killed by now.". Autrement dit : "Je doute que cela lui parvienne parce qui si les terroristes avaient lu mon blog, je serais morte à l'heure actuelle". Ce site ayant été élu "Best Iraqi Blogger" de bronze en 2004, un certain nombre de terroristes ont dû le parcourir... Mais cette phrase montre bien l'état d'esprit dans lequel se trouve un internaute lambda en Irak en février 2005.
Les sites se croisant entre eux, ils se sont même échangés la lettre et des sites non contactés ont publié la lettre (exemple en image)
Par contre un autre me répond qu'il ne la publiera pas parce que "c'est le seul moyen d'augmenter la rançon". Si donc il parle de rançon, c'est quelle est détenue ?? !

Je teste aussi les premières mises en forme de la partie "blog" du site. J'essaye de trouver une forme qui privilégie le fond, c'est-à-dire les textes. Et qui puisse aussi bien être lue en français qu'en anglais. Cela, c'est déjà moins simple si je veux privilégier la facilité de lecture.

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Samedi 12 février

Encore une atteinte à la liberté de la presse. Quelques lignes dans la rubrique "en bref" du Parisien en date du 10 février, en page 2, à côté des images de Florence et Hussein :
Kate Peyton, 39 ans, est morte hier à Mogadiscio. La jeune femme venait d'arriver dans la capitale somalienne pour faire une série de reportages lorsqu'elle a été atteinte de deux balles dans le dos, tirées par des hommes armées à bord d'un véhicule. Madame Peyton travaillait pour la télévision britannique depuis 1993. La Somalie est ravagée par quatorze ans de guerre civile.
C'est bref. La messe est dite. On n'en reparlera plus, je pense... (voir l'article)

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Samedi 12 février, début de soirée.

J'ai reçu une quatrième réponse d'un bloggeur iraquien. Je n'en reviens pas. Bien sûr, j'espérais. Mais pas tant que cela. Ce sont d'autres encouragements pour Florence, pour sa liberté. Je suis récompensé de la peine que je me suis donnée.
Je ne comprends pas pourquoi visiblement personne ne l'a fait avant. Je repense aux propos de Charlotte : "Qu'est ce que l'on fait SERIEUSEMENT?".
Pourquoi RSF avec toute sa logistique n'a-t'il pas inondé les blogs et sites irakiens d'informations ? Il va falloir que je leur pose la question. Mais cela commence à faire beaucoup de choses à faire et de questions à poser.

J'ai aussi une réponse d'un lycée du Calvados, une classe de première. La prof. d'"éducation civique, juridique et sociale" (sic) est d'accord pour une intervention et un travail avec les élèves. Juste devoir attendre 15 jours pour cause de vacances. Puis une autre d'un collège de La Rochelle.

Pour la première fois, je commence à penser que l'on n'entendra plus jamais parler de Florence Aubenas. Trente huit jours, cela fait beaucoup trop. Charlotte pense la même chose; elle m'indique qu'une explosion s'est produite dans le quartier où était Florence.

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Vendredi 11 février.

J'ai pris le problème à bras le corps et j'ai rédigé une espèce de "lettre à Florence" que j'ai traduite en anglais. Je surfe pour trouver des bloggeurs irakiens et je leur adresse mon propos avec quelques explications. Au douzième mail, j'ai reçu une réponse qui me touche énormément :
yes, my dear
i have put your letter on my blog
wish God will safe her and be back home
tell me when she is being free.
love
faiza
Tout mon message a été mis en ligne et la préface de la bloggeuse me touche encore plus :
Good evening...
Well I have got this email today in my mailbox.
It saddened me, I wish the French journalist will be free and go home with safety.
There are lot of victims in this silly war, from Iraqis or others.
We will keep praying for God to let the peace come for Iraq.
And the release of innocent people like Florence Aubenas.
My heart with you .
Love
Faiza
http://afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com/ est un blog qui a beaucoup de liens avec d'autres bloggeurs irakiens et jordaniens. Cela donne autant de possibilités que le message parvienne à une personne qui soit en relation avec Florence...
Libé me remercie encore une fois pour un de mes messages à Florence. Hormis flatter mon ego personnel, qu'est ce que cela fait pour retrouver Florence et Hussein? Mon vrai plaisir serait que Florence le lise. Que Florence soit en France. Ou en Irak, mais libre d'agir, libre d'écrire.

Je parlais hier d'un journaliste assassiné en Irak Sur un blog irakien, j'ai trouvé un propos à ce sujet tout à l'heure (je l'ai traduit mais je ne sais de quel blog je l'ai tiré parce que j'en ai parcouru des dizaines...) (voir l'original en anglais) (j'ai fait un lien vers les discussions qui s'en sont suivi parce qu'elles sont parfois très intéressantes):

Titre du propos : Un gouvernement fort contre le terrorisme.
Abd-al-Hussein Khazaal est le reporter d'Al-Hura TV à Bassorah. Il a été tué aujourd'hui par les terroristes. Son fils de 4 ans a été tué en même temps.Quel est le crime d'un enfant de 4 ans? (c'est surligné par le bloggeur / NDA)
Hier, les deux fils de Mithal Al-Aalousi ont été tués (ainsi qu'un garde du corps -NDA). Mithal était en voyage en Israël sans ses fils. Quels sont les crimes de ses enfants ?
Un autre officiel de la télévision a été tué à Bassorah hier. Al-Basri travaillait pour la chaîne de télévison Al-Fayhaa.
A Baghdah, un important officiel du Ministère de l'Intérieur a été kidnappé hier. Le manager de l'hôtel Al-Rashed a été tué. Un officiel du Ministère de l'Habitat a été tué aujourd'hui.
Le gouvernement d'Alawi est incapable de faire règner la sécurité!
Deux jours de plus à attendre le résultat des élections à cause du recomptage de 300 urnes.
Les Irakiens ont voté contre le terrorisme et de fait, ils veulent un gouvernement fort pour éradiquer les voyous et leurs soutiens et garantir la sécurité à tous les citoyens."
C'est ce que Monsieur Barnier appelle "une certaine forme de chaos"...
Je précise que Mithal al-Aalousi prône une ligne politique de normalisation avec Israël et qu'il avait, après sa visite à tel-Aviv en septembre 2004, déclaré : "Je réitérerai ma visite (en Israël) même si les terroristes essayent à nouveau de me tuer. La paix est la seule solution. Même la paix avec Israël. Mais pas de paix avec les terroristes." Ses fils étaient âgés de 30 et 22 ans.

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Jeudi 10 février.

Une idée folle : après avoir tenté plusieurs mises en page pour le bouquin de Florence et l'avoir entièrement changée (je suis passé au format à l'italienne, qui correspond mieux à l'écran d'un ordinateur -pas une mince affaire que de reprendre 150 pages...), je me suis dit que je pouvais aussi faire un site reprenant les messages de soutien à Florence et Hussein en anglais (1800 messages au total). Ni Libé, ni RSF ne veulent prendre les messages en anglais. J'ai essayé poliment = non. Puis en force avec d'autres pseudo = niet. Cela ne passe pas. C'est con. Nous devrions additionner nos compétences plutôt que de tirer dans tous les sens ! Encore des querelles de chapelles à la con. Pourquoi ne pas prendre les messages en anglais? C'est quand même plus facile pour la "machine" RSF (ou Libération) de traduire ou d'accepter les messages en anglais (d'autant que leur interface est en anglais) plutôt qu'un autre s'y colle en déroulant toute une logistique de gestion de site ... !!!
Mais bon, ça c'est un coup de gueule pour rien. Voilà 20 ans que je vois cela. Avec tristesse. Beaucoup de tristesse.
Et puis sur le site de RSF, ils limitent les textes à 1500 signes. J'ai dû retravailler tout mon texte qui en faisait (sur le site de Libé) 2500. Du coup, il me plaît moins. Mais comme j'écris dans l'instant, je n'ai pas eu d'autre idée pour RSF que celle que j'avais eu pour Libé.
J'ai donc travaillé sur le nom du site. Pas une mince affaire. Des abrutis se sont amusés à déposer des centaines de noms qu'il tentent de revendre à pris d'or. J'ai d'abord penser à quelque chose autour de Florence. Rien de libre. Or il me faut un nom qui passe aussi bien en français qu'en anglais. Pas simple du tout. Et puis, je ne veux pas utiliser mes hébergements pro. Pour éviter d'éventuelles attaques informatiques. Au final, cela devient un projet lourd.
A taper à toutes les portes possibles, j'ai aussi une réponse de Télérama: "Votre poste n’est pas humble il est essentiel. Il est toujours essentiel que l’individu se pense comme essentiel, sinon…". C'est aussi un sujet de café-philo... Hormis cela, les autocongratulations se poursuivent. Silence gouvernemental. Que va penser Florence de tout cela ?

La journaliste dont j'ai cité les propos le 3 février -Charlotte- a rajouté avant-hier : "J’ai la nausée de toutes les manifestations qui ne mènent à rien, même les écoles de journalistes se “mobilisent”. Je pense à une BD de Astérix “Engagez-vous qu’i disaient... Vous verrez du pays”...
Pfff.
Que peut-on faire SERIEUSEMENT ?". Tiens, c'est la question que je me pose depuis longtemps. Comme elle a l'air de penser comme moi, j'échange un peu plus avec elle. Elle réagit positivement à mes possibles interventions dans les écoles. C'est la troisième personne.

Et puis la "certaine forme de K.O." (de Michel Barnier, ministre...) se poursuit : 20 morts en Irak le 8 février. Presque autant aujourd'hui. On doute de la prochaine libération de Guiliana Sgrena. Voilà qu'elle a son portrait affichée sur la mairie de Strasbourg, à côté de ceux de Florence Aubenas et Hussein al-Saoudi. Et pourquoi pas les portraits de Fred Nérac, disparu en Irak l'an passé, ou Georges-André Kieffer, disparu en Côte d'Ivoire? Ou même celui d' Ingrid Bettancourt, quoique non journaliste, elle lutte pour la liberté, non?
Et puis, ces portraits sont-ils affichés sur les ambassades de France en Irak et en Jordanie ? En Irak où un journaliste irakien a été abattu avec son fils: Abd-al-Hussein Khazaal, reporter pour la chaîne de télévision Al-Hura TV... (lire son portrait ici)

Je ne sais si M. Barnier ou ses services lisent les dépêches de l'AFP, mais la "certaine forme de chaos" est quand même assez particulière... Imaginerait-on même chose en France?
Voici le texte (non modifié) de l'AFP : "Plus de 20 corps calcinés retrouvés au sud de Bagdad (police)
Les corps calcinés de plus de 20 Irakiens qui convoyaient du sucre pour le ministère du Commerce ont été retrouvés jeudi dans leurs véhicules au sud de Bagdad, a-t-on appris auprès de la police.
"Ce matin, une patrouille de la police qui était dans la région de Souwairah (à 60 km au sud de Bagdad) a découvert une vingtaine de véhicules, qui transportaient du sucre vers Bagdad, brûlés", a indiqué un responsable de la police sous le couvert de l'anonymat. "Deux policiers et deux soldats, qui protégeaient le convoi, ont été également tués", a-t-il dit. "Les corps se décomposaient dans les véhicules, ce qui veut dire que l'attaque remonte à au moins deux jours", a-t-il ajouté. Selon lui, le sucre était destiné à la ration alimentaire, instituée par le régime de Saddam Hussein et qui est encore aujourd'hui distribuée chaque mois aux Irakiens.
"Personne n'a osé jusqu'à présent enlever les corps, qui sont boursouflés et en décomposition", a dit ce responsable. Selon lui, la patrouille, qui a découvert le carnage, était en mission entre Souwairah et Salman Pak, à une vingtaine de kilomètres au sud de Bagdad, pour sécuriser la route, afin de permettre la montée vers la capitale d'une centaine de nouveaux véhicules destinés à la police. "Ces véhicules sont arrivés au port d'Oum Qasr et devaient remonter à Bagdad", a-t-il dit.
La région où le carnage a eu lieu échappe au contrôle des forces de l'ordre, et les attaques y sont innombrables."

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Lundi 7 février.

Ce n'est pas aussi simple que prévu dans le cas du rapt de la journaliste italienne. Voilà encore une affaire qui est partie pour traîner... Un autre groupe revendique maintenant l'enlèvement.
L'AFP publie un papier assez long sur l'état d'esprit des journalistes en Irak. (lire la dépêche)
Toujours rien du côté de Florence Aubenas. Il est maintenant question d'une campagne de mobilisation dans les journaux de langue arabe. Je me demande encore pourquoi avoir attendu 32 jours quand quasiment tous les enlèvements ont été revendiqués en 10/12 jours! En plus, cela veut dire quoi "il est question d'une campagne" dans la dépêche de l'AFP ??? Ce devrait être en action dès demain!!! Après tout, le gouvernement, Libération, Reporters sans Frontières devraient acheter des encarts en Une de tous ces journaux. Pourquoi ne le font-ils pas? La liberté de la presse n'a pas de prix! Et puis la France ne s'est jamais rangée du côté des envahisseurs. Alors pourquoi hésiter?

Autre sujet d'inquiétude pour la liberté (et pas seulement celle de la presse) : la proclamation de l'état d'urgence au Népal (le roi là-bas pète un peu les plombs...). Du coup, le Ministère des Affaires étrangères affiche sur son site : "En raison d'une actualité soudainement aggravée et caractérisée par l'imposition de l'état d'urgence, il est fortement déconseillé de se rendre en Inde". Bien sûr, c'est valable pour les journalistes, le "bon" roi ayant jugé nécessaire d'interdire la moitié des journaux. Effet incident de cet état d'urgence : la moitié des avocats sont au chômage parce que la moitié de leurs affaires ont trait à la défense des libertés individuelles et qui critique la politique du roi... se retrouve arrêté. Or défendre les libertés individuelles, c'est attaquer le roi. C'est en fait le principe corrigé à la sauce himalayenne du monde selon Bush : "Si vous n'êtes pas pour moi, c'est que vous êtes contre moi"...

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Dimanche 5 février.

La position de nos dirigeants politiques me fait bondir : "Les indications et les recoupements les plus récents dont nous disposons nous permettent de garder l'espoir" déclare le ministre des affaires étrangères à Libération. L'article de Libé affirme que le chef de la diplomatie française s'est montré "à la fois rassurant et très circonspect". "Nous nous trouvons dans une situation très sensiblement différente du cas de Christian Chesnot et Georges Malbrunot", déclare Michel Barnier, ajoutant "les circonstances, les raisons de ces disparitions ne sont pas comparables".
Mais de qui se moque-t'il ce monsieur? Pas la peine d'être ministre pour voir que c'est une situation très sensiblement différente !!! Soit l'enlèvement est crapuleux (voir les enlèvements des chauffeurs de camions en Irak) et on le sait en quelques jours, soit c'est politique et on le sait au maximum en 10/12 jours. Donc forcément que c'est différent. Si cela sert à cela un ministre, pauvre Florence !
En fait, on ne sait rien. Et la violence a repris (de plus belle) en Irak. Cela ne va pas aider à sortir Florence de là où elle est.
Une phrase de Barnier me fait exploser. Je dois être invivable pour mon entourage... Le ministre a déclaré que l'Irak connaît "une certaine forme de K.O."... ?! C'est quoi, pour lui, le K.O. quand 30 personnes meurent dans des attentas le jour des élections, et qu'au cours de la semaine suivante plus de cinquante personnes sont tuées dans des attentats et qu'une (autre) journaliste est kidnappée ?

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Samedi 4 février.

Si l'on ne sait toujours rien concernant Florence Aubenas, au moins, les choses sont plus claires du côté de la journaliste italienne : l'AFP a diffusé une annonce en soirée :
Un groupe armé, se faisant appeler "l'Organisation du jihad islamique", a revendiqué dans un communiqué qui lui est attribué sur internet le rapt en Irak vendredi de la journaliste italienne Giuliana Sgrena et sommé l'Italie de retirer ses forces de ce pays sous 72 heures.
"Le rapt de la journaliste n'est rien d'autre qu'un message adressé au gouvernement italien, qui a à sa tête le Premier ministre (Silvio) Berlusconi, pour lui dire: "Vous ne connaîtrez pas la sécurité tant que vous aurez un soldat en Irak", affirme le communiqué signé du groupe, mais dont l'authenticité ne peut être vérifiée.
"Nous donnons au gouvernement italien 72 heures pour retirer ses soldats d'Irak, sinon nous aurons d'autres messages à vous communiquer dans les prochains jours", ajoute le texte, sans donner plus de précisions.
On peut donc en déduire que la journaliste est toujours vivante. Ce n'est pas forcément encourageant quand on sait que le précédent journaliste italien a été tué par ses ravisseurs...

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Samedi 4 février.

Voilà que maintenant c'est une journaliste italienne qui disparait en Irak, Giuliana Sgrena... Comme d'habitude, la première dépêche de l'AFP, à 12h43, est laconique :
Une journaliste italienne travaillant en Irak, Giuliana Sgrena, a été enlevée, a indiqué vendredi le quotidien indépendant de gauche Il Manifesto pour lequel elle travaillait.
"Giuliana nous a appelés il y a un quart d'heure pour dire qu'elle allait bien mais cinq minutes plus tard son interprète nous a rappelés pour dire qu'elle a été enlevée à proximité d'une mosquée, à Bagdad", a déclaré à l'AFP un des deux directeurs du quotidien, Gabriele Polo, confirmant l'information donnée quelques instants plus tôt par l'agence Ansa. (lire son portrait ici)
En France, concernant la disparition de la journaliste de Libération, les députés se sont fendus d'un communiqué : "Nous, députés français, exprimons notre très vive inquiétude et appelons les autorités politiques à tout mettre en oeuvre pour rassembler toutes informations utiles" sur leur situation et leur état de santé. Il a presque fallu attendre un mois avant une réaction!

J'ai aussi reçu une réponse d'une journaliste. Elle écrit: " l'ambiance petits-fours pour réfléchir à "comment sortir Florence de la merde"... Là je vomis...."
Je ne suis donc pas tout seul à penser que cela ne sert à rien de se regarder le nombril entre nous à pleurer la disparition d'untel ou la captivité d'une autre. Deux, c'est déjà le début d'un courant de pensée, non?

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Mercredi 2 février.

Après mon idée de livre, je commence aussi à cogiter à une intervention dans des écoles pour aborder ce problème de la détention (si c'est une détention...) de Florence et de la liberté de la presse. Je contacte d'autres personnes qui ont laissé des messages sur le forum de Libération. Mais beaucoup restent pris par leurs problèmes quotidiens. Visiblement, une fois que l'on a pris sa carte à RSF et que l'on a déposé son message sur un forum, on stoppe l'action. Les alibis sont toujours les mêmes : les enfants, le boulot, la famille, le manque de temps... Que seront toutes ces choses si demain nous n'avons plus la liberté d'être informés sans que les politiques, les financiers ou les terroristes ne contrôlent l'information?
Je répête souvent qu'il nous faut inventer les formes de lutte qui correspondent au monde actuel. Nous luttons avec les armes de nos grands-parents quand ils luttaient pour les congés payés... Cela n'a plus court car ce qui mène le monde ou l'Europe ne se combat pas avec des banderolles ou des pétitions. Comment "libérer" Florence et Hussein ? C'est une sacrée question. Du même genre que "Faut-il maintenant laisser les Américains continuer leur bordel seuls en Irak?"...
J'ai beau y réfléchir souvent, mais je reste toujours au pied d'un mur que je n'arrive ni à contourner, ni à sauter, ni à creuser, ni à abattre. Et nous voilà sans nouvelles depuis 28 jours. Quelle est lourde à porter cette incapacité !

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Dimanche 30 janvier.

Le manque d'informations, je devrais dire l'absence totale d'informations, concernant Florence Aubenas, me ravage de plus en plus. J'en rêve la nuit.
Aussi j'ai décidé de faire un travail de compilation avec les dépêches de l'AFP -cruelles et terribles dans leur raccourci- et la solidarité, le soutien, la tendresse des soutiens adressés à Florence Aubenas. Pour en faire un livre que je diffuserai à son retour. Si il pouvait être vendu au profit de Reporters-sans-frontières, cela serait génial.
Je me suis attelé à une première mise en page avec quelques dizaines de dépêches AFP et les premiers messages postés sur le site de Libération. Au départ, la conservation des dépêches AFP n'avaient pas cette destination, mais voilà qu'elles peuvent être utiles à quelque chose immédiatement. Au total, cela fait déjà plus de 300 pages. Il y a 400 autres messages de soutien sur RSF. Je vais sûrement me limiter aux messages des libénautes. Si cela continue, je devrais faire un e-book!

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Lundi 24 janvier.

Cette disparition de Florence Aubenas me touche de plus en plus. J'ai envie de faire quelque chose, mais quoi? Cette impuissance me révolte. Est-ce suffisant de se réunir autour d'une affiche pour dire "Nous soutenons Florence et son guide"? Comment le message parvient-il en Irak? Et pourquoi n'avons-nous pas d'informations? Pourquoi le gouvernement ne dit-il rien? Comme ce doit être dur pour la famille et les proches! Jamais je n'avais imaginé que quelqu'un que je connaisse puisse disparaître... sans disparaître. Nous avons tous perdus un ou deux amours, de ceux que l'on pensait ne devoir jamais perdre. On a beaucoup pleuré puis on s'en est remis! J'ai l'âge auquel on a déjà perdu des amis, des parents, des grands-parents, des collègues. Je suis fataliste, ils sont partis. On sait où si l'on croit en Dieu. On croit savoir si l'on n'est pas croyant. Mais là, c'est autre chose. Je ne supporte pas.

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Dimanche 22 janvier.

Le Monde publie un portait de Florence Aubenas (lire l'article). Après les quelques dizaines de soutiens publiés par Libération, voilà que les choses commencent à frémir. Je regrette, qu'après la libération des deux précédents journalistes, il n'y ait pas plus de réactivité.
Voilà donc 17 jours sans nouvelles. Je suis inquiet. Le gouvernement ne dit rien. D'habitude les revendications sont rapides. C'est terrible cette attente. Je déplore aussi le peu de messages de soutien sur le site de Libération. Où sont les autres journalistes, les correspondants de presse, les localiers, les photographes ? Pourquoi n'y a t-il pas plus de mobilisation ? Il devrait y avoir des milliers de signatures. Ceux qui s'expriment sont des enseignants, des chercheurs, des chômeurs, des gens qui se préoccupent des libertés fondamentales. Mais ceux dont c'est le métier, où sont-ils?
Je me demande sans cesse ce que je pourrais faire concrétement...

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Mercredi 12 janvier.

Toujours aucune nouvelle de Florence Aubenas et de son guide. Cet homme est un ancien colonel de la l'aviation irakienne. Est-ce que cela aurait pu être préjudiciable à Florence? Il ne se passe à peu près que du n'importe quoi en Irak. On assassine sans dissocier les enfants des ennemis, les femmes des collègues, les innocents des traitres.
Voilà 5 jours sans nouvelles. Ou si l'Etat français en a une, nous ne le savons pas. Libération a ouvert un forum. Une vingtaine de messages sont affichés sur le forum de soutien. Ce n'est pas beaucoup. Peut-être que les autres sont comme moi : je ne sais pas quoi dire. Et puis, ce n'est pas une protestation ou une pétition habituelle. Quand j'ai dit non aux lois Debré en 1993, la pétition de Libération était adressée au gouvernement. Idem pour Juppé en 1995. Pour l'AMI en 1997. Et tant d'autres. Mais là, qui va lire ces messages en Irak? Un irakien peut-il voir ces messages et les comprendre? Il faudrait que cela soit en anglais.

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Vendredi 7 janvier.

C'est d'abord une information à France Inter, puis une dépêche de l'AFP qui retient mon attention : Florence Aubenas n'a plus donné de nouvelles alors qu'elle était à Baghdad.
Depuis que Philippe avait été tué au Rwanda, j'avais oublié que le métier de journaliste pouvait être très dangereux. Je suis l'actualité de l'Irak au quotidien depuis février 2003 et si je déplore les enlèvements, exactions et assassinats, et si il m'arrive de tempêter sur l'inaction de la France -ou le trop d'actions des USA!-, je ne réagis pas encore avec mon coeur. Là, c'est différent. Florence n'est pas à proprement parler une amie, mais sa réponse positive à mon invitation de venir à Merlieux m'avait enchanté, la conférence avait passionné le public et la discussion, qui s'en était suivie lors du retour sur Paris, à propos de Ben Ali et de la situation en Tunisie m'avait marqué.
Depuis cette date, c'était toujours un plaisir que de la lire. Ses dénonciations et ses prises de position sont les miennes. Elle va là où je ne suis pas. Alors sa disparition m'affecte comme jamais auparavant un enlèvement de journaliste ne m'avait affecté.

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