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DARK SECRETS: Observers | Rare Historical Photos

Sheep wars in the West Bank: Israeli settlers target Bedouins' flocks

Palestinian Bedouin communities in the West Bank are used to aggression from Israeli settlers. Since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, they have seen an increase in efforts by extremist settlers to take their land – and their sheep.

France 24

The Observers’ top investigations of 2023

The Islamic State group attacking truffle producers in the Syrian desert, an Ivorian recruited to fight with the Wagner militia in Ukraine and the far-reaching impacts of India’s “love jihad” conspiracy. These are just a few of the stories that shaped 2023 for us. The FRANCE 24 Observers team takes…

France 24

Assad regime bombs civilian area near Aleppo to retaliate against rebels

Five civilians were killed when the Syrian regime bombed the town of Darrat Azza on December 17, 2023. Darrat Azza is part of an area held by rebels opposed to the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Among the dead are a pregnant woman and a child. Our Observers on the ground…

France 24

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'We don't have the budget to feed all the inmates': A rise in deaths in DR Congo prisons

Overcrowding, lack of food, disease ... In September alone, 14 inmates died in the main prison in Goma, the capital of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Images of inmates crammed into tents and photos of bodies being removed leaked onto social networks in mid-October. Our Observers told…

France 24

How police in Iran are cracking down on hijab regulations on year after historic protests began

On September 16, 2022, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for wearing her hijab "improperly". Her death led to massive anti-regime protests, known by their now-iconic slogan: “Woman, Life, Freedom”. The Observers team has been in regular contact with dozens of women across Iran over…

France 24

Proposed hijab penalties in Iran: 'They can’t prosecute millions of women'

One year ago this Saturday, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for wearing her hijab "improperly". Her death led to massive anti-regime protests, known by their now-iconic slogan: “Woman, Life, Freedom”. The Observers team has been in regular contact with dozens of women across Iran…

France 24

Amateur videos show Turkish police violence against African migrants

Amateur videos sent to the FRANCE 24 Observers team show police in Turkey stopping and questioning African migrants as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration. The videos, sent in by migrants from Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea and Angola, show officers shouting at the migrants and in some cases using physical…

France 24

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Sudan conflict: Two videos expose rapes allegedly carried out by Rapid Support Forces

Since the conflict in Sudan broke out in April, hundreds of rapes have been reported by civilians and NGOs, with women from ethnic minorities being particularly targeted. In mid-June, two extremely shocking videos emerged of rapes being carried out in North Khartoum. Our Observers condemn the systemic use of sexual…

France 24

What happens when AI generates fake historical photos

Social media users in recent weeks have been circulating an old-timey photo of men standing next to a giant horse. While the photo looks like it came from a bygone era, it was actually generated by artificial intelligence. It is just one of a number of AI-generated images that have…

France 24

In Khartoum, corpses litter the streets: ‘The fighting keeps residents from burying them’

The capital of Sudan, Khartoum, has been embroiled in violent clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support forces (RSF) since April 15, leading to scores of casualties. Images received by the FRANCE 24 Observers team show lifeless bodies littering the streets of the city. Our Observer, a…

France 24

After six months of protests, Iranian women without headscarves has become the 'norm'

After six months of protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, our Observers say that "irreversible" changes have taken place in Iranian society. The most noticeable is the number of Iranian women who are daring to go out in public spaces with their hair uncovered. Although the morality police still…

France 24

How one year of disinformation has shaped the narrative of the Ukraine war online

On February 24, 2022, Russia began a full-scale invasion into Ukraine, triggering a war on the ground, but also an information war online. Since then, the FRANCE 24 Observers team has debunked 115 pieces of misinformation that have been shared in photos or videos online. But what are the main…

France 24

‘I never wear a headscarf anymore’: Iranian women continue to defy Islamic regime

In Iran, women are daring to go out without their headscarves in public places, streets, cafes, banks and even airports. For five months, thousands of Iranians have been pouring into the streets to protest against the Islamic regime. While the protests have waned in recent weeks, Iranians – especially women…

France 24

From bus driver to Russian soldier: The journey of an imprisoned Ivorian recruited by Wagner Group

A video posted in early January 2023 showed the leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner with a mercenary who was described as Ivorian. By analysing posts shared on social networks and talking to people who knew him at different times in his life, the FRANCE 24 Observers team managed…

France 24

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France 24

How Russia is broadcasting fake Polish TV reports to scare their citizens

Did a Polish news channel really broadcast a weather map showing Poland expanding into Ukrainian territory? Or the TV report on how the Polish army was creating an LGBT paramilitary unit? Both of these video reports do feature the logo of a Polish public broadcaster. But there are a lot…

France 24

How the WhatsApp, Instagram blackout is impacting millions of Iranians

The Iranian government shut down Instagram and WhatsApp and drastically reduced internet speed on September 21 in response to nationwide protests. This has not only greatly restricted Iranians' access to information but it has also limited millions of Iranians' business activities. Three of our Observers explain how these restrictions have…

France 24

Does this video really show children on the front lines of the war in Ukraine?

Is Ukraine sending children to fight on the front lines of the war? That’s what some people on social media are claiming. As proof, they cite a video showing three very young-looking soldiers, which has been circulating online since November 8. It turns out, however, that we could identify two…

France 24

The Observers' top images from 2022

Over the past year, our team examined thousands of images taken by citizen journalists from around the world. These images captured everything including the war in Ukraine, the protests in Iran and Argentina's World Cup victory. To mark the year's end, the Observers present a video of some of our…

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France 24

EU-made ammunition used in Iran repression: Iranians demand answers

An investigation by the FRANCE 24 Observers has provoked a furious reaction from Iranians in Iran and around the world. In an article published November 25, the Observers team published photographs showing 13 shotgun cartridges bearing the logos of Cheddite, a French-Italian ammunition manufacturer, that had been recovered from protests…

France 24

Three false claims on Qatar World Cup analysed and debunked

During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, false claims have emerged, targeting the teams, supporters and organisers. The FRANCE 24 Observers team have debunked three pieces of false information.

France 24

Iran carries out second protest-related execution in its 'killing spree'

Iran carried out its second execution linked to the anti-government protests challenging the country’s theocracy on December 12. Our Observer, Hadi Ghaemi, who works as the Executive Director of the ‘Centre for Human Rights in Iran’, told us this “killing spree” to crush protests is likely to shift into “high…

France 24

Why are fake covers of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo circulating in Russia?

There have been at least six fake covers of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo circulating online, especially on Russian Telegram channels, over the past six months. And Charlie Hebdo isn’t the only magazine targeted – fake covers of numerous international media outlets have also been circulating online since the start…

France 24

How EU-made shotgun cartridges are being used to repress protests in Iran

An investigation by the FRANCE 24 Observers team has found evidence that shotgun cartridges manufactured by French-Italian manufacturer Cheddite have been used in the repression of protests in Iran. Shotgun cartridges using Cheddite components have been widely used for hunting purposes in Iran since at least 2011, an apparent violation…

France 24

No, this Ukrainian general isn’t wearing a bracelet with a swastika on it

Did the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces publish a photo of himself wearing a bracelet with a swastika on it? That’s what some Russian media outlets and pro-Russian social media accounts have been reporting since October 9, 2022. While the photo is authentic, the compression of the image and the…

France 24

Is Gazprom threatening to keep Europe cold this winter? Why this video is likely fake

Global media outlets widely shared a video they attributed to Russian state energy company Gazprom in articles published on September 6, 2022. The video, which was circulated online by pro-Russian users, depicted the company halting its flow of natural gas to Europe. However, our journalists investigated the origins of the…

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