Libyan authorities will help find Hammerl's body, pledges Gaddafi

The Libyan authorities have indicated they will assist in finding the remains of Surrey-based journalist Anton Hammerl who was killed while reporting on conflict in the country, according to the president of South Africa Jacob Zuma.

In a press statement published online today Zuma claimed he had discussed the death of photographer Hammerl, a South African national, with Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli yesterday.

It was revealed earlier this month that Hammerl, who was thought to be being held hostage in Libya along with four other journalists, was fatally wounded when the group of journalists were attacked.

British photographer Nigel Chandler, American journalists Claire Gillis and James Foley and Spanish photograher Manu Brabo were all released.

According to Zuma the Libyan authorities "undertook to assist in finding the remains". He added that the South African government will work with the Hammerl family to discuss the proposals made by both the Libyan authorities and Zuma's own government's on how to take the matter forward.

In the statement President Zuma added that he was "encouraged by the cooperative manner of the Libyan authorities".

On a Facebook page calling for the return of Hammerl's remains to his family, campaigners say they will post any firm developments as they happen.

This follows an interview with Foley, one of the journalists taken captive at the time of Hammerl's killing, where he recounted the attack on him and his colleagues.

"We wanted to get to the frontline. It had been kind of difficult because the rebels had started to get organised and setting up more and more checkpoints and they were holding reporters back.

"We had started to advance slowly beyond the last checkpoint on foot. Anton said this doesn't look safe, this seems a little crazy.

"I didn't want to be the guy that said let's turn around, I didn't want to do that," he added. But their next decision to move off the road to avoid where most of the attacks were taking place was "a huge mistake" he said.

"Not more than a few seconds later two heavily armed Gaddafi pick-up trucks came over the rise firing. From then we were already paralysed by gun fire, pressing ourselves down to the ground. I realised this is not a crossfire, there's no body else shooting at the other side back at them.

"They're getting out of their trucks, they're approaching us from about 40 metres away, shooting at us, as if maybe they think we're rebels.

"I immediately heard Anton say 'help, help', he was about 10 metres ahead of me, he didn't have as much cover as I did and my heart sank to my stomach. I yelled 'Anton, Anton are you ok?' Another barrage of bullets came in and I heard more faintly 'no'. Another barrage of bullets came in, I yelled his name again, there was no response.

"Then I realised we were going to die, we were all going to die there, there was no way just lying there would help so I jumped up raised my arm and yelled 'sahafi, sahafi… journalist, journalist'. Then I was struck several times by the butt of an AK47, punched and dragged into the back of the pick-up truck."

Image by World Economic Forum on Flickr. Some rights reserved.

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