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Marie Colvin: Killed in Homs for Telling the Truth
She appeared on CNN the night before she died, describing civilians dying under Assad's bombardment of Baba Amr. The next morning, Assad's artillery killed her.
Confirmed2 chapters1956-01-12— 2012-02-22
Marie Colvin's death was not collateral damage — investigators confirmed the Syrian army tracked foreign journalists and ordered a targeted strike on the media center.
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Chapter 01birth01 / 02
1956-01-12—2012-02-21New York / London / Global War Zones
A Career Covering the World's Wars
1956 – February 2012
Marie Catherine Colvin was born on January 12, 1956 in Oyster Bay, New York. She spent over 25 years as The Sunday Times's chief foreign war correspondent, covering conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans, and South Asia. Her trademark was embedding with civilians and combatants alike — getting as close as possible to the human reality of war. In 2001, while reporting on the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, an RPG fragment destroyed her left eye. She continued working, wearing her famous eye patch as a public statement that she would not stop. She covered Kosovo, East Timor, Chechnya, Palestine, Libya (where she was among the last journalists to interview Muammar Gaddafi before his death), and numerous other conflicts. Colleagues described her as fearless but precise — she documented what she saw rather than editorializing.
Confirmed(97%)Sensitivity: medium
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Chapter 02fall or death02 / 02
2012-02-22Baba Amr, Homs, Syria
Killed in Baba Amr: February 22, 2012
February 22, 2012 — Baba Amr, Homs, Syria
Marie Colvin entered besieged Baba Amr district in Homs clandestinely in February 2012 to report on the Syrian Army's siege. On the evening of February 21, she appeared live on CNN and BBC, describing shells falling on the neighborhood: 'There are no military targets here. There are children being killed. There are families who want nothing to do with this conflict.' The following morning, February 22, 2012, Syrian Army artillery struck the improvised media center (called the Baba Amr Media Center) where she, French photojournalist Rémi Ochlik, and other journalists were sheltering. Colvin and Ochlik were killed. British photographer Paul Conroy and French journalist Edith Bouvier survived, wounded. A 2026 RSF (Reporters Without Borders) investigation confirmed the attack was premeditated: the Syrian Army had been tracking foreign journalists, senior intelligence and military officers had held a strategic meeting the evening before the shelling, and the strike was ordered directly. In 2025, a French court issued arrest warrants for Bashar al-Assad and six Syrian officials in connection with the killings.
Confirmed(98%)Sensitivity: critical
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