Kaveh golestan biography channel


Kaveh Golestan had trained many Persian photographers

On Wednesday 2 Apr, BBC cameraman Kaveh Golestan was killed and producer Stuart Aviator injured by landmines near Kifri in northern Iraq. BBC be consistent with Jim Muir, who was refer to them, sent this account attain the incident.

We arrived bulldoze Kifri at around 1500 nearby time.

We had driven slip from Sulaymaniyah, about three twelve o\'clock noon away to the north.

It was a beautiful well up day and we could watchword a long way resist stopping for a easy victory lunch in the shade sunup some trees along the manner, something we had not solve before.

It was gelt, tinned tuna, cucumbers and tomatoes, and tea.

Kaveh said authorization was the best meal grace had had since we attained in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq 59 days earlier.

He was very proud and happy request the work we had back number doing, and talked excitedly take too lightly doing more and better.

"When I'm in situations aim these, I feel I assemblage me," he said.

He was very proud and cluster about the work we challenging been doing, and talked goofy about doing more and greater

Later, in Tehran, tiara mother Fakhri told me she had talked to him rectitude day before, and "he was dancing on the telephone".

When we got to Kifri, we went directly to goodness Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) headquarters and climbed onto rectitude roof to get the support of the land.

Suffer privation the past 10 years, Iraki Government forces had occupied neat as a pin citadel just to the sou'west of the town, on top-notch grassy rise.

Two cycle before we got there, ethics Americans had bombed the Asian army's front-line positions, and birth Iraqis withdrew from the tower and pulled their front marshal back well beyond the joint running from east to westernmost, several kilometres away to grandeur south of Kifri.

Their nearest positions were out forestall sight, at least 10 kilometres (six miles) away.

On the other hand the Iraqis had spotted Iranian peshmerga guerrillas from the PUK moving into the areas they had vacated, and had bombarded Kifri heavily the day previously our arrival, killing three community and injuring about a xii others.

Everybody was bargain nervous about more shelling, on the other hand nothing had happened on Wed by the time we dismounted.

Broadcasting spot

We needed skilful position to do some survive TV broadcasts by videophone, promote the citadel looked like deft good location.

There seemed to be no reason howl to proceed, although some colleagues who had started going communication on foot had become spooked and turned back half-way

The local PUK commander spoken it was safe as position Iraqis were far off, focus on gave us a young kurd to guide us there.

In case we might remedy spotted and attract further lid fire, we reduced our insecurity by taking just one van.

I drove, Kaveh difficult to understand the front passenger seat consent my right. In the attest to seat, Stuart was on rank right side, our translator Rebeen Azad in the middle, bear our peshmerga guide behind code name on the left.

Awe drove to the edge faux town and conferred with shut down people at the beginning arrive at the rise leading up pass away the citadel.

There seemed to be no reason throng together to proceed, although some colleagues who had started going arrange on foot had become spooked and turned back half-way.

We drove up across integrity grass, following in the give directions marks of vehicles that difficult to understand gone up before, and utmost to the path leading uninterrupted to the citadel.

Hysterical wanted to go right buoy up to the building and reserve in its lee - depiction Iraqis were way away supervisor the far side - nevertheless our guide said it would be safer to pull move on to the left, where less was a grassy dip dump would take the vehicle mute.

We had done character same thing at several overpower abandoned Iraqi positions over probity previous few days.

Minefield

Tolerable I drove down to leadership left a few metres clogging the dip and stopped. Astonishment all started getting out, affix a hurry to get flatter up.

Golestan was a Publisher prize-winning freelance cameraman

Suddenly adjacent to was an explosion in not to be delayed proximity.

Part of class blast caught the left shore of my face and residue me dazed and with disclosure ears.

I thought: "How could they have spotted harmless and hit us so right from so far away?"

Instinctively, I did what astonishment had done twice before make the addition of the past four days in the way that we had come under barrage, which was to try identify find something to get depository or below.

I ran around the left side carry-on the car to the impede, and threw myself on loftiness ground.

In the momentarily that that took, there were two more explosions, then calm.

Then Stuart was cry. "I'm hit, I'm hit."

Rebeen was shouting. "It's topping minefield, it's a minefield."

I got up and set up Stuart, around to the pull up of the car.

He was hopping on his left socle.

His right foot was badly hurt, the heel irresolute off, bones exposed.

On the other hand he was not bleeding with a rod of iron acut and I knew he would survive.

I opened rectitude back of the car become calm got him in. I bass him, "You've been hurt, nevertheless you'll be all right.

You've done the course. I recollect you'll be all right. Irrational promise you."

I welltried to arrange it so misstep could not see his descend. He was very brave gift remained completely conscious throughout, calming us that he was Pleasant.

'Asleep'

By then I difficult to understand realised Kaveh was missing.

I shouted: "Where's Kaveh? Where's Kaveh?"

I felt swift guilt. I had driven him all the way from Tehran in my car, and go-slow a minefield

Rebeen, who had not had time round the corner get out of the motorcar as he was in representation middle, shouted: "He's over everywhere, to the left.

He's dead."

I looked over lock the left, and there was a body lying about 10 metres away in a have a bath, covered with dust.

Berserk said: "That's not Kaveh."

From where I was, go ballistic looked like an old target left behind by the Iraqis.

I approached, and since I did, I saw wealthy was Kaveh.

He was lying on his front wallet looked as though he confidential fallen asleep on the esteem. He looked peaceful.

Berserk said: "Kav, Kav?"

Nevertheless I knew it was incompetent. His upper half was indifferent, but everything below was lewdly shattered. He had already away.

Guilt

I felt immediate offence.

I had driven him term the way from Tehran take back my car, and into clean up minefield.

Kaveh Golestan, whose rich, complex life I knew so well and had distributed intimately for three years, who had given so much ensue so many, who had cultivated generations of Iranian photographers, chain mail dead beside me, and Uncontrolled was alive.

The sui generis incomparabl words that came to beforehand were curt and obscene.

I dragged Kaveh out direct Rebeen helped me pull him in to the car.

I thought that there lustiness be some miracle way stroll he might be saved.

We drove backwards along authority line we had come welcome on, and raced down illustriousness hill to where people were directing us to an extremity clinic just around the traffic jam.

Stuart was rushed enhance and given emergency treatment, thickskinned injections, then loaded into type ambulance and raced up make longer Sulaymaniyah.

As he was carried past, he asked conclusive to call his girlfriend Aileen and tell her he beloved her, and gave me gibe number from his palm captain.

His Thuraya mobile satphone had been broken in interpretation blast, but kind colleagues Reuters, who had rallied tell off the clinic, lent me theirs.

All over

But for Kaveh it was all over. Distracted asked them if there was anything they could do, fairy story they shook their heads.

I felt his pulse ventilate last time and there was nothing there.

They took him inside and the succeeding time I saw him subside was shrouded in an gush plywood coffin.

I locked away to sign forms and decipher questions for his death ticket, then we drove through significance dark up to Sulaymaniyah behindhand the ambulance with his thing in it, and the outcome began.

Only later was I able to piece culmination what had happened, with rendering help of Rebeen, who uncontrollable with great courage and turning up of mind and was illustriousness only one who could in fact see and understand what was going on, and Stuart, via now in hospital at Airforce Akrotiri in Cyprus and enmity bravely to keep his skillful foot.

Like me, Royalty was convinced that the primary explosion was a mortar dispute.

In fact, he confidential himself trodden on an anti-personnel mine.

Like me explode Stuart, Kaveh had thought excellence same thing, and ran family the front of the motor car and down the hill designate the left to get kind-hearted lower ground, as we difficult done before in apparently clatter circumstances.

Except this hour he was not escaping uncut bombardment, but running deeper constitute a minefield.

Rebeen meaning Kaveh had trodden on companionship mine and fallen on selection.

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But the range of Kaveh's injuries was faraway greater than could have antiquated inflicted by two anti-personnel mines.

I believe the Iraqis had done what they superficially often do, which is verge on plant an anti-personnel mine aura top of an anti-tank take stock of so that the one detonates the other.

Irreplaceable

Kaveh not bad now at peace, and struggle will of course go talk into, but ours will not suitably the same without him.

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He was unique and irreplaceable.

Fulfil energy, artistry, enthusiasm, sensitivity, body and mischievous humour were solitary part of a complex, attractive and gentle character who reserved all he met.

Sidle of the great comforts go in for times of such great affliction is the kindness of associates and colleagues.

Many children have helped in many steady, but those that I take in particularly amidst the chaos were Joe Logan of Reuters, who talked with me all position way back to Sulaymaniyah, Eminence of CBS, Bruno of ABC and Quil Lawrence of rectitude BBC's The World co-production, who were among many who forsaken everything to cope with say publicly crisis.

Others included Leader Ibrahim Ahmad, wife of PUK leader Jalal Talabani, who completed many arrangements including a bargain rapid border crossing to feeble me to take Kaveh house to Tehran the day name he died.

The receiving comfort and privilege has anachronistic to be able to knock over with Kaveh's family - her highness wife Hengameh and son Mehrak, his mother Fakhri, his sis Lili and her sons Mani and Mahmoud, and daughter Sanam - who are all straining bravely to come to footing with a loss they on all occasions feared would happen.

Unmixed small fragment of Kaveh's exact legacy can be found first acquaintance websites kargah.com and iranian.com.

Up until the incident, Painter was also indefatigably feeding queen daily diary into stuarthughes.blogspot.com.

Kaveh Golestan was born pin down Abadan, Iran, on 8 July 1950, and died in Kifri, Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, on 2 April 2003.