WpN Confirms Photojournalist Dmitry Chebotayev’s Death In Iraq
NEW YORK, NY (May 7, 2007) – WpN photojournalist Dmitry Chebotayev died Sunday in Iraq, killed along with the six American Task Force Lightning soldiers he was riding with when they were struck by a roadside bomb while on patrol northeast of Baghdad, his agency said today. The Associated Press says two other American soldiers were wounded in the attack.
“Dmitry was an experienced conflict photographer,” World Picture Network editorial director Carlo Montali said today. “But he was killed at a time and place where experience means so little for members of the press.” Many of the deaths in Iraq are seemingly random, the result of buried bombs, car bombs, or suicide bombers, and no amount of experience or training can protect soldiers or journalists from purely random violence.
“A U.S. armored personnel carrier exploded on a roadside mine in the Diyala province north of Baghdad,” the Russian ambassador to Iraq told Interfax this morning in Moscow. “The APC was carrying U.S. soldiers and Chebotayev, and the earlier information that the Russian photographer died in the explosion proved true today,” Vladimir Chamov said.
The Associated Press called the bomb that destroyed the APC "massive." The editor of the Russian edition of Newsweek told The Moscow Times the vehicle was on a road between Baghdad and Baqouba. "It is a big loss for us," editor Leonid Parfyonov told The Moscow Times. "He was a very good photographer. He was a young guy who took risks, who often worked in hot spots." Chebotayev was a Moscow native.
The photojournalist was on assignment for Russian Newsweek at the time of his death. He had covered conflict in Chechnya, Lebanon, the Golan Heights, and Iraq. Chebotayev's age is uncertain, as his Web page on Lightstalkers.org says he is 27 while some news reports have him at 29. He spoke Russian and English and had freelanced for European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) and Newsweek in Russia after getting into photography by working for a corporate magazine.
“I did not know him very well, just well enough to take it a little bit personal,” Montali told WpN’s staff today. “People in contact with him at the agency remember Dmitry as a positive and thoughtful person. We at WpN would like to convey our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones. My thoughts are with his parents and sister [that] Dmitry left behind.”
Chebotayev knew Montali from the director’s previous agency, Reflex News. “I remember an eager person, always willing to help, always trying to make things work, very cheerful,” Montali said. “When I joined WpN, I was glad to find him again. The last time I spoke with him, it was around ten days ago. We had a conversation that was unfortunately too brief, cut off by bad reception after a few minutes. I sent him an eMail and Skype message, but never had time to hear back from him.
“Now he is gone. Roadside bomb. Just like that, nothing personal. My thoughts go to members of the press, fellow journalists and photojournalists who risk their lives, and sanity, everyday, somewhere. I cannot question the desire to cover events, it is innate, [it] comes with the territory. I cannot stop our contributors from going to nasty places either. So what, then? Maybe say, 'Be careful,' but even so, that seems so weak. Still, be careful.”
This week, WpN starts a special exhibit to honor seven of their photojournalists. “On Wednesday there is a party at the gallery, attended by some of these photographers. On that occasion, we all will have a special thought for Dmitry,” Montali said.
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