vrijdag, oktober 24, 2003
Photographers on trial for invasion of privacy testified Friday they were only doing their jobs when they snapped pictures of Diana, Princess of Wales on the day she died. At the one-day trial, a prosecutor argued that the three defendants violated journalistic ethics and deserved suspended prison sentences for taking photographs before and after the fatal crash in Paris. "What they wanted to photograph was misery, distress, people covered with blood," prosecutor Beatrice Vautherin said, asking the three-judge panel to set clearer limits on the boundaries of photojournalism.
Jacques Langevin, with Sygma at the time of the crash, Christian Martinez of the Angeli agency and free-lancer Fabrice Chassery risk one year in prison and a substantial fine. Langevin now works for Deadline Photo Press. Chassery, now with KCS Presse, described how he rushed to the crash site on a tip from a fellow photographer. He argued he was not in a position to help the injured couple, so he started shooting photos. "The rescue services were already there, so I decided to take pictures," he said. "After 16 pictures, I decided to stop. The shock hit me."
The three men on trial were among a swarm of celebrity photographers who either pursued the car carrying Diana and Fayed or took photos after it crashed in a Paris tunnel. France's highest court dropped manslaughter charges against nine photographers - including the three on trial Friday - in 2002.
The photos were confiscated and never published. But under French law, the interior of a car is considered a private space, and they took photos of the passengers inside. Chassery said he didn't think his actions could be considered intrusive. "An intrusion is when you go inside somewhere," he said.
Langevin, a photojournalist who has covered wars and terrorist attacks, said he has never run into trouble in the past when he took photos of people in their cars. "We have never been prosecuted for this," he said. Martinez was not present in court.
A verdict is expected to be set for a later date. Charges were dropped against five other photographers present at the crash scene.
Bron: CNews.
Jacques Langevin, with Sygma at the time of the crash, Christian Martinez of the Angeli agency and free-lancer Fabrice Chassery risk one year in prison and a substantial fine. Langevin now works for Deadline Photo Press. Chassery, now with KCS Presse, described how he rushed to the crash site on a tip from a fellow photographer. He argued he was not in a position to help the injured couple, so he started shooting photos. "The rescue services were already there, so I decided to take pictures," he said. "After 16 pictures, I decided to stop. The shock hit me."
The three men on trial were among a swarm of celebrity photographers who either pursued the car carrying Diana and Fayed or took photos after it crashed in a Paris tunnel. France's highest court dropped manslaughter charges against nine photographers - including the three on trial Friday - in 2002.
The photos were confiscated and never published. But under French law, the interior of a car is considered a private space, and they took photos of the passengers inside. Chassery said he didn't think his actions could be considered intrusive. "An intrusion is when you go inside somewhere," he said.
Langevin, a photojournalist who has covered wars and terrorist attacks, said he has never run into trouble in the past when he took photos of people in their cars. "We have never been prosecuted for this," he said. Martinez was not present in court.
A verdict is expected to be set for a later date. Charges were dropped against five other photographers present at the crash scene.
Bron: CNews.
# posted by Jan-Edward : 22:14
|