Death toll rises for journalists killed in Georgia
According to reports, four journalists have been killed in Georgia, since the country’s armed conflict with Russia began on Friday.
Dutch television cameraman Stan Storimans, 39, who was working for news channel RTL, was killed during the Russian bombing of Gori, the Associated Press has said. Storiman’s colleague Jeroen Akkermans was also injured by blasts, which killed five.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has also reported the deaths of two journalists in the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali. Grigol Chikhladze, head of Alania TV, and Alexander Klimchuk, head of the Caucasus Press Images agency and a correspondent for Itar-Tas, were shot at a roadblock erected by Ossetian freedom-fighters, RSF said.
US reporter Winston Featherly-Bean and fellow Georgian reporter Teimuraz Kikuradze, who were travelling with Chikladze and Klimchuck, were wounded in the attack and later taken to a field hospital.
An as yet unnamed Georgian journalist has also died in the conflict, after a shell hit his car outside Gori.
The BBC’s Gavin Hewitt also claimed his crew were under fire from Russian forces (thanks to Daniel Bennett for flagging this up):
August 13th, 2008 at 12:09 am
[...] Chikhladze, head of Alania TV and Alexander Kimchuk, head of the Caucasus Press Images Agency were apparently shot at a roadblock. Supposedly, one more unnamed Georgian journalist has also been [...]
August 14th, 2008 at 4:35 am
[...] Death toll rises for journalists killed in Georgia. Four journalists have been killed so far. [...]
December 29th, 2008 at 4:10 am
[...] Chikhladze, head of Alania TV and Alexander Kimchuk, head of the Caucasus Press Images Agency were apparently shot at a roadblock. Supposedly, one more unnamed Georgian journalist has also been [...]
August 11th, 2009 at 10:22 am
[...] Akkermans’ colleague Stan Storimans was killed while reporting from the Russian-Georgian border for RTL television. [...]