Antonio Russo

Antonio Russo was a free-lance,[2] used to live firsthand the hottest events. Born in 1961 in Chieti, (Abruzzo) is taken from an orphanage in about 6 years. Leave in the 80s the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Pisa to register, in '86, at the Faculty of Philosophy of "La Sapienza" of Rome. Always in '86 he founded with a group of students from the magazine "Philosophema", which he devotes much of his intellectual commitment.

After studying philosophy, he began making the profession of journalism, in the nineties, his first service, a report from Siberia (with Radical Radio). He had not wanted join to 'Association of Journalists' (both publicists than professionals) and had turned down offers of warheads emblazoned, since so he felt free to tell without vetoes the realities of war and - he said - the atrocities that civilians were forced to endure.

Russo was for many years a freelance reporter and international Radical Radio. Among his most famous matches those from Algeria, during the years of bloody repression, Burundi and Rwanda during the war Hutu-Tutsi, which have documented the war in the Great Lakes region, and then Ukraine, Colombia, Cipro, Russia,[3] Algeria and Sarajevo during the siege.[4]

Russo was also sent Radical Radio in Kosovo, where he remained - only Western journalist in the region during the NATO bombing - up to 31 March 1999 to document the ethnic cleansing against Albanians Kosovars. During those weeks he also collaborated with other Italian media and international agencies.

On that occasion he was also the protagonist of a daring escape from the raids Serbs, joining a convoy of refugees from Kosovo direct train to Macedonia. The convoy stopped along the way and Antonio Russo reached on foot Skopje.[5] There were no news of him for two whole days, in which it has already given up for lost.[6] On his return, he received two major journalism awards. An echo of that story came also in the German press.[7]

Russians denied him entry to Chechnya.

He went to Georgia to cover crimes against civilians in Chechnya.[8][9] He sent movies and correspondences to Radical Radio, the Radio Station he worked in Italy.

Russo was reportedly also going to interview Vera Putina, a woman who had identified Vladimir Putin as her lost son and had provided photographs of young Putin.[10][11][12]

In recent times, Russo was investigating the Russian request for expulsion by the ONU by Radical Party, accused of meddling in the war in Chechnya. After collecting the new material, he said particularly important, Antonio Russo would have to return to Rome on October 16. That material, however, it was not possible to view.

Antonio Russo died in the night between 15 and 16 October 2000 in Georgia, where he was sent as a Radical Radio to document the war in Chechnya. The Farnesina announced the discovery of his body was found on the edge of a country road, near the village of Udzharma, at 25 km from Tbilisi (Georgia), tortured and bruised, with techniques related to military specialist departments. The element is significant, because this road there is a Russian base of Vasiani. His apartment had been searched and looted; Russo's laptop computer, mobile telephone, video camera, and three videotapes were missing.[13] The circumstances of death were never clarified, unconfirmed bring back the incident to the government of Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The autopsy reveals that the envoy Radical Radio was killed by blows to the chest that caused fatal internal injuries. The Commissioner Nugzar Khambashidze, in charge of the investigation, he initially claimed to be able to exclude each track policy.

In his work as a war reporter in Chechnya have been devoted two films.[14]

In May 2009, Daniel Biacchessi writes the story of Antonio Russo in his book Passione reporter.

The name of Antonio Russo appears in Arlington, at the Museum of Press of Washington, etched into the stone of the Martyrs, together with that of 25 other journalists disappeared in 2000.

In an interview the 29 November 2002 by Patrizia Notarnicola to Laura Boldrini, the ACNUR spokesman, is remembered Antonio Russo[15]

1999, 10 October (Mantua) - "Prize Andrea Barbato: Ethics of objectivity" III° Edition[16]

1999, 28 May (Sarteano) - VII° Journalist Award Sarteano "Clean Pens".[17]

1999 - XX° Ischia International Journalism Prize[18]

2001, April 11 - XXVI ° Journalism Prize Saint-Vincent organized by the friends of the house of game of Saint-Vincent with the High Patronage of the President of the Republic.[19]

2006, September 11 - Prize Witness for Peace

2012, October 15 (Rome) - Prize Italy Human Rights "Global and Human Civilization"[20]

2003- was released in cinemas L'inquilino di via Nikoladze by the director Massimo Guglielmi (UNESCO Prize 2005).

2004- was released in cinemas Chechnya, a film about the history of the war reporter, by Leonardo Giuliano with Gianmarco Tognazzi in the role of Antonio Russo distributed by Stazione Marittima Spa and supported by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture (Ministry of Culture)

• Anna Politkovskaya

• Antonio Russo - The Committee to Protect Journalists
• Full video and transcription of last public speech of Antonio Russo