-
In memory of Marie Colvin

#RememberingMarie
Last week (February 22) marked the 10th anniversary of the death of Marie Colvin, the American journalist killed while covering the war in Syria for the British Sunday Times newspaper. This sad day is an opportunity to remember her and other correspondents who lost their lives while reporting on conflicts in the Middle East and beyond across a turbulent world.
Marie died in the besieged city of Homs where rebel forces were resisting the army of President Bashar al-Assad. Back in 2019, after a court case, her family blamed the Syrian government for her assassination, awarding them $300 million in damages. She was killed by an improvised explosive device along with French photographer Remi Ochlik. She was 56.
Born in the US state of New York and educated at Yale University, her career encompassed United Press International (UPI) and then the Sunday Times, which she joined in 1985. From 1986, she was the newspaper's Middle East correspondent, and then from 1995 was foreign affairs correspondent.
In 1986, Colvin had her first major scoop when she was the first journalist to interview Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi after US planes bombed Tripoli. Gaddafi also said reconciliation between Libya and the US was impossible so long as Ronald Reagan was in the White House. "I have nothing to say to him (Reagan)", he said, "because he is mad. He is foolish. He is an Israeli dog.” I was then in Libya covering the crisis for the Guardian and that was when I first met Colvin.
Marie became a friend. We knew a good deal of the same people, mostly other journalists. The last time we met before she died was in Tripoli again in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprising against Gaddafi in October 2011. We had a meal together in the centre of the Libyan capital with other colleagues.
She also covered conflicts in Chechnya, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and East Timor. It was there in 1999 that she was credited with saving the lives of 1,500 women and children from a compound besieged by Indonesian-backed forces. Refusing to abandon them, she stayed with a UN force reporting in her newspaper and on television. They were evacuated after four days.
In April 2001 Colvin lost the sight in her left eye while reporting on the Sri Lankan civil war when she was struck by a blast from a by rocket-propelled grenade while crossing from a Tamil Tigers-controlled area to government territory. She was attacked even after calling out "journalist, journalist!"
Despite sustaining serious injuries, Colvin, who was 45 at the time, managed to write a 3,000 word article in time to meet her deadline. She had walked over 30 miles through the jungle with her Tamil guides to evade government troops; she reported on the humanitarian disaster in the northern Tamil region, including a government blockade of food, medical supplies and prevention of foreign journalists access to the area for six years to cover the war.
Colvin later suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and required hospitalisation following her injuries. Following her death in 2012 the Sunday Times faced criticism that she should not have been sent to Syria at all because of that condition.
Marie was very glamorous and hard-drinking. The eyepatch she wore for parties after her Sri Lanka injury was studded with rhinestones. She was also very brave. Detractors described her as foolhardy and irresponsible. She went back to Homs after being ordered by her newspaper to leave Syria via the Lebanese border.
Whenever Marie drove herself and her collaborators further, she believed that she was alleviating suffering. Sometimes she was, but she was also looking for a good story and fleeing the most recent chaos she had left behind at home. Her personal life was very unsettled. She was married three times
Colvin will forever by associated with covering conflicts and prioritizing interviewing ordinary people suffering from them, which she learnt from her heroine, Martha Gellhorn, the even more famous world war two American journalist.
Two friends established the Marie Colvin Journalist Network (MCJN) to provide support for local journalists in conflict zones often with no access to international assistance. MCJN’s focus is on the Middle East and North Africa, where women are often vulnerable to societal pressures, harassment and prejudice as well as the problems caused by governments and militias.
“Where would Marie Colvin have been last week, as President Putin gathered his forces on the borders of Ukraine, ready to strike?,” wrote her friend and biographer Lindsay Hilsum, a Channel 4 TV correspondent, in the Sunday Times on February 20, two days before the 10th anniversary of her death.
“Probably in some freezing trench with Ukrainian soldiers, learning far more about them than she could ever fit into a single Sunday Times dispatch. Or maybe she would have tried to sneak into Russian-held Crimea, in search of the untold story of Russian conscripts readying for war — her editors and friends beside themselves with worry. Marie had no regard for borders, or any kind of limit really. That’s why she’s not with us today.”
BY: IAN BLACK
You May Also Like
Popular Posts
Caricature
BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
opinion
Report
ads
Newsletter
Subscribe to our mailing list to get the new updates!