Bakhtiyar Haddad, 15 years of war in Iraq

© Diego ibarra Sánchez

OCTOBER 2^sd – 29^th

On 19 June 2017, Bakhtiyar Haddad,  the Iraqi Kurd journalist and fixer, stepped on a mine and was killed in Iraq during the battle for Mosul. Two journalists from the France 2 magazine series Envoyé Spécial, Véronique Robert and Stephan Villeneuve, also lost their lives in the explosion.

Bakhtiyar Haddad began his career as a translator/guide and journalist at the beginning of 2003, a few weeks before the start of the American offensive in Iraq. For almost 15 years, working with French journalists, he experienced at first hand all the iniquities of his country, documenting warfare, fighting, massacres and atrocities in work which will be of immense value to History. Bakhtiyar was clever, funny and full of curiosity and he “opened doors”. He managed to arrange access to the front lines and to high-ranking Iraqi politicians.  Admired by everyone for his astute analytical skills and his courage, he was an invaluable fixer in the most dangerous of combat zones. Over the years, he had acquired all the qualities and skills required of war correspondents: he understood the issues and the personalities, he had his nose to the ground and a sense for information. Many journalists who worked with him would say that he had the “feel of the war”.

This exhibition looks back at the work of Bakhtiyar Haddad using photos, writings, videos and the sounds of the French journalists who accompanied him.  It is above all a tribute to the dangerous work of fixers, without whom it would be impossible for journalists to report from zones of conflict.

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Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie
Boulevard Fabien Ware
Open every day 10 am to 12.30 pm and 2 pm to 6pm
Exceptionally open Friday October 6^th until 7 pm

Free Admission