Sorrow for lost cameraman

Sorrow for lost cameraman

By John Simpson BBC world affairs editor in northern Iraq

Kaveh Golestan was already well-known as a photographer and filmmaker in his native Iran when he became a cameraman for the BBC.

He brought an artistic quality and great sensitivity to his news filming and editing, moral courage too.

It is not always easy for an Iranian to work for the BBC in Iran, where the government regards it with habitual suspicion.

Kaveh's physical courage was just as strong.

Media losses

22 March: Terry Lloyd, ITN

23 March: Paul Moran, ABC

30 March: Gaby Rado, Channel Four News

Terry Lloyd's cameraman Fred Nerac and translator Hussein Othman are still missing

Reporting the war

I first met him at Halabja in 1988, when we were both reporting on Saddam Hussein's use of poison gas against the Kurds and I have regarded him as a good friend and companion ever since.

This has been a terrible war for television news.

In 14 days we have lost two correspondents, Terry Lloyd and Gaby Rado from Independent Television News in Britain, an Australian cameraman and now Kaveh.

Significantly, all four were operating independently of the coalition forces and three of them were working in northern Iraq.