James Miller
18.12.1968 - 2.5.2003

James Miller was killed while filming a documentary in Gaza on 2 May 2003. He was the fifth freelancer to die that year. The circumstances of his death demonstrate yet again how dangerous the world of journalism has become. The Rory Peck Trust urges the civil and military authorities in areas of conflict to do everything in their powers to protect the ability of journalists to carry out their work in safety.

This is a tragic loss for the freelance community. Our thoughts are, above all with his wife and very young family.

"This was an epic trip in every sense. In many ways it was the most satisfying piece of filming I've ever done. The Taliban denied us visas, then they relented and let us in. But then they arrested us and we narrowly escaped imprisonment. Later on in the trip, when we were taken from a roadblock to a quite unpleasant commander to be questioned, a Taliban soldier tried to put a hole in me with a cannon round. Luckily it didn't go off. In spite of all this, the people we met who were resisting the Taliban were truly inspirational"

This was James Miller, talking about his experiences while filming the award-winning Channel 4 documentary Beneath The Veil. It is a very matter-of-fact way to describe what must have been a terrifying set of circumstances. He was very brave - an outstanding freelance cameraman who used his initiative to tell the true story, and his creative skills to produce images not only of great strength but also, frequently, of outstanding beauty.

Twice a finalist for The Rory Peck Awards and a post-humous winner of the 2004 Rory Peck Awards for Features with 'Death in Gaza", James was a good friend to the Trust. Operating in many of the world's danger zones, he gave us valuable feedback on the issues that affected him as a freelancer. It was he who alerted us to the extraordinary work of Ahn Chol, an undercover North Korean cameraman. James had been a member of Frontline Television, and had recently set up a company "Frostbite" with Saira Shah.

• Tributes to James Miller
• www.justice4jamesmiller.com
• The Rory Peck Awards 2001
• The Rory Peck Awards 2004

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