Family of Slain Journalist Marie Colvin Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Syrian Government
LatestIn 2012, journalist Marie Colvin—renowned for her brave, humanizing reporting in high-conflict areas—was killed in Syria during a rocket strike. Four years later, her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad, who they say deliberately targeted her in an effort to silence coverage of the war.
The complaint—filed in D.C. on Saturday by the Center for Justice & Accountability on behalf of Colvin’s sister and niece—accuses high-ranking Syrian officials of working in concert to hunt foreign journalists and any Syrians who helped them.
Colvin, a veteran correspondent for the Sunday Times of London, was killed along with French photojournalist Rémi Ochlik after government forces laid siege to an apartment building used as a makeshift “media center” by reporters. The documents hold that the attack, which came just hours after Colvin issued a report accusing the government of assailing “cold, starving civilians,” was part of a coordinated campaign between Syrian military and intelligence forces.