By BosNewsLife News Center
BUDAPEST/BRUSSELS/TRIPOLI (BosNewsLife)– The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ mourned Thursday, April 21, “the tragic death of photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros” who were killed by a mortar attack in the besieged Libyan city of Misrata.
Two other photojournalists, Guy Martin and Michael Christopher Brown, were both seriously injured in Wednesday, April 20, mortar fire along Tripoli Street amid heavy fighting between forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and rebels opposing his regime.
“The death of Hetherington and Hondros are a terrible loss to their families and colleagues,” said IFJ President Jim Boumelha in a statement to BosNewsLife. “Their deaths and the wounding of two other photographers have brought home the serious risks faced by journalists when getting close to the story.”
Tim Hetherington had won several “distinguished prizes” IFJ said, including the World Press Photo Award in 2007, for his work covering conflicts over the last decade. He was also jointly responsible for the internationally praised Afghan war Documentary, Restrepo.
Chris Hondros, a former nominee for the journalistic Pulitzer Prize, also won the 2006 Gold Medal Robert Capa for his “exceptional courage and initiative” in Iraq.
LIBYA “EXTREMELY DANGEROUS”
Boumelha stressed their deaths underscored that “Covering Libya has been extremely treacherous for all journalists, many with a long experience of working in dangerous environments.
He said, “They risked arrest, beating, detention and now death to bring into the public eye the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Misrata. We urge a full examination of the circumstances of their deaths and review of internal security procedures.”
Funeral arrangement were not immediately announced.
As fighting continues, several Christian rights investigators have also expressed concerns about the tiny Christian minority in Libya, saying they already faced harassment by Islamic extremists and authorities before the fighting began.
