Stan Storimans

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Stan Storimans
Born(1969-01-08)8 January 1969
Tilburg, Netherlands
Died12 August 2008(2008-08-12) (aged 39)
Gori, Georgia
Cause of deathMissile strike
NationalityDutch
OccupationPhotojournalist (television cameraman)
Years activec. 1984–2008
EmployerRTL Group
Known forBeing the only foreign national (civilian) to have been killed in the Russo-Georgian War
SpouseMarjolein Storimans
Children2

Stanislaus Norbertus Ida Maria Storimans (8 January 1969 – 12 August 2008) was a Dutch cameraman employed by RTL Nieuws who was killed in a Russian missile strike against the Georgian city of Gori while reporting on the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.

Career[edit]

At fifteen years old, Storimans joined Persbureau Van Eijndhoven in Tilburg as a holiday job, where he worked on sound, editing and camera work, specializing in the latter. Starting as a sound engineer for NOS Journaal, Storimans found employment as a camera operator with television news service RTL Nieuws from 1989 onwards.[1] He made his most prominent reports in conflict-affected areas, such as former Yugoslavia and Zaire, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Palestine, Sri Lanka, and later in Afghanistan and Iraq.[2] Storimans also filmed major sporting events, such as the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics, and the 2008 European Football Championship. Since 2000, he ran his own media company in his North Brabant hometown of Goirle, called Storicam Mediaproducties, for which he employed four people.[1][3]

At the time of Stan Storimans' death, author Johan van Grinsven had been working on a book describing Storimans' 20 years of reporting from conflict zones, which was published posthumously on his 40th birthday in 2009.[4][5]

Death[edit]

Storimans was killed during Russian bombing of the Georgian city of Gori during the war in Georgia.[6] Seven others were injured in the attack, including a Dutch correspondent for RTL, Jeroen Akkermans,[6] while the Israeli journalist Zadok Yehezkeli was seriously wounded and evacuated to Israel for treatment after surgery in Tbilisi. At least two other people were also reported killed. The bomb hit an area near the media centre that had been set up on the roof of the city's television and radio centre.[7] Human Rights Watch has reported it found the evidence that cluster bomb has been used by the Russians in the attack which killed Storimans.[8] The initial Reuters report that their analysis of the footage from the scene shows that the explosions may have come from mortar fire.[6]

Sandra Roelofs, the Dutch-born wife of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, offered to attend the funeral, but his family declined the offer as they didn't want to politicise the ceremony.[6] Storimans was buried on 21 August 2008 at the burial site "Vredehof" in Tilburg. Dutch ministers Ronald Plasterk and Maxime Verhagen were present during the memorial service at the St. Lucaskerk.[9]

Investigations[edit]

The Dutch member of parliament and Foreign Affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel said that Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen summoned the Russian ambassador for clarification regarding reports of alleged use of cluster bombs by Russian forces in Georgia; he also urged the Dutch government to persuade the Russians to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[10] The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, also condemned the killings and recalled the obligation under international law to respect the civilian status of reporters. He called on the authorities to investigate and take appropriate action.[11]

On 20 October 2008, the Dutch government announced its investigation has found that Storimans was in fact killed by a Russian cluster munition after the withdrawal of the Georgian army from the city.[12] The investigative team sent to Georgia to gather forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts concluded Storimans was killed by a munition "propelled by a type of rocket that is only found in Russia's military arsenal". Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen called the findings "very serious" and said in a statement he had "made that clear to the Russian authorities. Cluster munitions must not be used in this way. There were no troops present in Gori and innocent civilians were killed." Verhagen said the Netherlands plans to raise the matter with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.[13][needs update]

Legal proceedings[edit]

On 19 April 2024, Storimans' widow, Marjolein Storimans, and his former collegue Jeroen Akkermans announced they had filed a complaint for war crimes against six (former) Russian servicemen with the International Crimes Team of the Dutch Public Prosecution Service. The accused are the driver of an Iskander missile launcher vehicle and a number of officers and their commanders, who are charged with attacking the city of Gori at a time it could not be considered a legitimate military target due to the lack of a Georgian military presence.[14] In the statement, a comparison was made to the criminal case following the 2014 shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, in which a Dutch court found two Russians and a Russian separatist in Ukraine guilty of shooting down the airliner and killing 298 civilians—193 of whom had been Dutch nationals.[15]

Stan Storimans Award[edit]

On 12 November 2009, the first Stan Storimans Award was presented; a prize for camera operators of news and current affairs programs. Its initiator and organizer was Peter van der Maat, editor-in-chief of the current affairs TV show Netwerk, who had worked frequently with Storimans since 1988 as a reporter for NOS Journaal and RTL Nieuws. The award was presented by Storimans' widow. Since 2015, the Stan Storimans Award has been a part of the prestigious De Tegel journalism awards, becoming the Storimans Tegel. It was first awarded in this new form on 31 March 2016 in The Hague.[16]

Laureates[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Dongen, Johan van der; Olmer, Bart (13 August 2008). "'Ooit word ik zelf wereldnieuws'" ['One day I will become world news myself']. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Goirle. Archived from the original on 16 August 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Dutch journalist killed in Russian bombing of Gori". International Herald Tribune. Tblisi, Georgia. 12 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2008.
  3. ^ "About - Stan". Storicam.nl. Storicam Mediaproducties. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Boek Stan Storimans komt toch uit" [Stan Storimans book will come out after all] (in Dutch). Waalwijk: NU.nl. 13 August 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  5. ^ Grinsven, Johan van (2009). Stan Storimans, oog op de wereld: cameraman van Goirle tot Georgië [Stan Storimans, Eye on the World: Cameraman from Goirle to Georgia] (in Dutch). Tilburg: Pix4Profs. ISBN 9460320015.
  6. ^ a b c d Blasts rock Georgian town Gori, several dead, Reuters, 2008-08-12, access date 2008-08-17
  7. ^ Dutch journalist killed in Russian bombing of Gori, Associated Press, August 12, 2008
  8. ^ Georgia: Russian Cluster Bombs Kill Civilians; Stop Using Weapon Banned by 107 Nations, Human Rights Watch, August 15, 2008
  9. ^ (in Dutch) Stan Storimans donderdag begraven, Omroep Brabant, 18 August 2008
  10. ^ Georgia: SP demands clarification as Russians are accused of use of cluster bombs Archived 2011-05-20 at the Wayback Machine, Socialist Party (Netherlands), August 15th, 2008
  11. ^ Director-General condemns violence against journalists in conflict in Georgia and urges respect for media safety Archived 2008-09-12 at the Wayback Machine, UNESCO, 18-08-2008
  12. ^ Cameraman killed by Russian bomb Archived 2008-10-22 at the Wayback Machine, The Scotsman, 21 October 2008
  13. ^ Dutch: Russian cluster bomb killed journalist, Associated Press, October 20, 2008 Archived October 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Complaint for war crimes regarding death of journalist Stan Storimans". Prakkendoliveira.nl. Prakken d'Oliveira Human Rights Lawyers. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Aangifte tegen Russische militairen om dood RTL-cameraman Storimans" [Complaint against Russian servicemen for death of RTL cameraman Storimans] (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Stan Storimans Prijs naar De Tegel" [Stan Storimans Award to De Tegel] (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten. 10 November 2015. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Winnaar 2009" [Winner 2009] (in Dutch). Stan Storimans Award. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Cameraman El Mourif wint Stan Storimans Prijs" [Cameraman El Mourif wins Stan Storimans Award]. Het Parool (in Dutch). Hilversum. 12 October 2010. Archived from the original on 17 October 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Coolen wint Stan Storimans Prijs 2011" [Coolen wins Stan Storimans Award 2011] (in Dutch). RTL Nieuws. 12 October 2011. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Cameraman Rekko wint Stan Storimans Prijs" [Cameraman Rekko wins Stan Storimans Award]. Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). Hilversum. 12 October 2012. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Stan Storimans Prijs naar camjo" [Stan Storimans Award to camera journalist] (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 15 October 2013. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Stan Storimans Prijs voor documentaire Omroep West" [Stan Storimans Award for Omroep West documentary] (in Dutch). NU.nl. 14 May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2024.

External links[edit]

Video[edit]

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