Ramzan Mezhidov
Freelance cameraman

Died - 29 October 1999
Age - 32 yrs

Ramzan Mezhidov had been working for eighteen months as a freelance stringer for Center TV Moscow filming the Chechen conflict in Grozny, his native city. On October 29, 1999 he set off from Grozny to Nazran to relay his footage to the Moscow studio. He was travelling with a refugee convoy along the Baku-Rostov highway, known to the Chechens as the 'life-line'. The Russian Air Force, claiming they believed the convoy were Chechen terrorists, bombed them, and many were killed. Mezhidov, unharmed in this first attack, began to film. It is unclear whether the soldier who shot him on the aircraft's second run believed his camera to be a weapon, or was trying to prevent him from filming. Mezhidov was not killed immediately but, along with the other wounded and dead, was left on the road. He was eventually taken to hospital in Urus-Martan where, suffering from shock and blood loss, he died.

Before working for Centre TV, Mezhidov had worked as a freelance for ARD between the Chechen conflicts. During the recent conflict, Mezhidov had been a valuable asset to Centre TV throughout the Northern Caucasus, particularly in the Republic of Dagestan until returning to Chechnya after the arrival of the Russian troops.

Prior to his death, Mezhidov's Grozny home had been destroyed, and he had moved his wife and two young daughters, Madina, 3 and Sabina, 2 (pictured right), to his sister's flat in Moscow. When the Trust contacted the family, they were still there, living in a two-roomed apartment with a total of 3 families and 5 children.

Apart from a tiny contribution ($160) from the Glasnost Fund, small compensation from Centre TV ($1,000), and a collection from ARD colleagues and friends, the family now has no source of income.

The Rory Peck Trust has made an immediate crisis-relief grant of $10,000 USD. This grant is to go towards the purchase of a flat for Ramzan Mezhidov's widow and her children. It is hoped that with the stability and security of having a roof over her head, she will be able to find work and begin to be able to support her young family. The Trust will review her situation in twelve months time.

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