Roddy Scott
Encyclopedia
Roddy Scott was a British freelance cameraman who documented neglected conflicts in such places as Sierra Leone
, Yemen
, Iraq
, Afghanistan
and Ethiopia
. He derived the bulk of his income from updating a guide to war and traveled widely in his freelance journalism, usually career without sponsors or payment. He died in Russia
while working for Britain
's Frontline Television News
.
. Russian soldiers found his body in Ingushetia's Galashki
region, near the border with the war-torn republic of Chechnya
, following a fierce battle between Russian forces and a group of Chechen rebel fighters in which at least 17 were killed and a Russian helicopter
was shot down. Scott had accompanied the Chechens from Ruslan Gelayev's unit as they crossed from Georgia
into Russia and was apparently was killed by a bullet in the eyepiece of his camera
while filming the firefight, United Press International
reported. According to Kavkaz Center
, however, he was killed alone while trying to surrender
. At first, the Kremlin officials said Scott might still be alive.
Scott was instrumental in updating Robert Young Pelton
's The World's Most Dangerous Places
' fourth edition and his primary source of income came from assisting Pelton in covering areas like Kurdistan, Albania
and other areas they travelled. Pelton investigated the circumstances of his friend's contributor's death and determined that Roddy indeed tried to surrender but was shot in the face by a Russian sniper
while waving an improvised white flag
borrowed from a local. According to Pelton, the Russian government later tried to extort
Scott's family, branding him as a "terrorist
" and refusing to return the body or issue a death certificate
unless money was paid. Pelton arranged with CNN
's Moscow
bureau Jill Dougherty to run a lengthy profile on Scott's career as a journalist to counter the Russian propaganda
. Meanwhile, Scott's family solved the body extortion by simply demanding that in the British
tradition, he should be buried where he fell.
Roddy Scott's father, Robin, writing to The Times
, said his son had chosen to travel with the Chechens in order to remedy the sparse media reporting of a conflict: "Whether it was Kurds, Chechens
, Afghans
or Palestinians, he was committed to ensuring that issues were not sidelined and received the international attention that they deserved."
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. He derived the bulk of his income from updating a guide to war and traveled widely in his freelance journalism, usually career without sponsors or payment. He died in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
while working for Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Frontline Television News
Frontline Television News
Frontline Television News was a cooperative of freelance cameramen formed during the chaos of the Romanian revolution in 1989. Founded by Vaughan Smith, Peter Jouvenal, Rory Peck and Nicholas della Casa, during the next 15 years they went on to film some of the most memorable images of modern...
.
Death
On September 26, 2002, Scott was killed in the Russian republic of IngushetiaIngushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
. Russian soldiers found his body in Ingushetia's Galashki
Galashki
Galashki is a village in Sunzhensky District of the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia, located on the left bank of the Sunzha River near the border with the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania...
region, near the border with the war-torn republic of Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, following a fierce battle between Russian forces and a group of Chechen rebel fighters in which at least 17 were killed and a Russian helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
was shot down. Scott had accompanied the Chechens from Ruslan Gelayev's unit as they crossed from Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
into Russia and was apparently was killed by a bullet in the eyepiece of his camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
while filming the firefight, United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
reported. According to Kavkaz Center
Kavkaz Center
The Kavkaz Center is a privately run website by pro-Chechen which aims to be "a Chechen internet agency which is independent, international and Islamic" that "does not represent the viewpoint of any state structures"...
, however, he was killed alone while trying to surrender
Surrender (military)
Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
. At first, the Kremlin officials said Scott might still be alive.
Scott was instrumental in updating Robert Young Pelton
Robert Young Pelton
Robert Young Pelton , is an author, journalist and documentary filmmaker. Pelton is considered an adventurer and a "witness" to conflict. Pelton is known for overcoming extraordinary obstacles in his search for the truth...
's The World's Most Dangerous Places
The World's Most Dangerous Places
Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places is a frequently updated handbook written by Pelton and an unusual crew of contributors. Although it is not meant to be used as an actual travel guide, like Frommer's, the book's advice to staying alive and the facts about the world's most...
' fourth edition and his primary source of income came from assisting Pelton in covering areas like Kurdistan, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and other areas they travelled. Pelton investigated the circumstances of his friend's contributor's death and determined that Roddy indeed tried to surrender but was shot in the face by a Russian sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
while waving an improvised white flag
White flag
White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale.-Flag of temporary truce in order to parley :...
borrowed from a local. According to Pelton, the Russian government later tried to extort
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
Scott's family, branding him as a "terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
" and refusing to return the body or issue a death certificate
Death certificate
The phrase death certificate can describe either a document issued by a medical practitioner certifying the deceased state of a person or popularly to a document issued by a person such as a registrar of vital statistics that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death as later...
unless money was paid. Pelton arranged with CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
bureau Jill Dougherty to run a lengthy profile on Scott's career as a journalist to counter the Russian propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
. Meanwhile, Scott's family solved the body extortion by simply demanding that in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tradition, he should be buried where he fell.
Roddy Scott's father, Robin, writing to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, said his son had chosen to travel with the Chechens in order to remedy the sparse media reporting of a conflict: "Whether it was Kurds, Chechens
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
, Afghans
Demography of Afghanistan
The population of Afghanistan is around 29,835,392 as of the year 2011, which is unclear if the refugees living outside the country are included or not. The nation is composed of a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual society, reflecting its location astride historic trade and invasion routes between...
or Palestinians, he was committed to ensuring that issues were not sidelined and received the international attention that they deserved."
External links
- Killed reporter's Chechen rebel pictures, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 1 October 2002 - (Photo) Perhaps the last photograph of Roddy Scott