[ RadSafe ] Fw: [DU-WATCH] Hamid Bahmani interview

[Roger Helbig]

the source is Press TV in Iran

PRESS TV

25, East 2nd St., Farhang Blvd.,
Saadat Abad, 19977-66411
Tehran, I.R Iran

Phone: +98 21 23011130
Fax: +98 21 23011139 

Once you get past the interesting beginning they really get into anti-DU mode

But Mr. Bahmani is not reporting any more. He is one of the million 
victims of depleted uranium bombs dropped on Iraqi soil by allied 
forces. He has lost sight in both eyes and recently his health 
deteriorated further, targeting his lungs, making breathing a 
strenuous job for him. 

According to Deborah Hastings, AP National Writer, an estimated 286 
tons of depleted uranium munitions were fired by the U.S. in Iraq and 
Kuwait in 1991. Another 130 tons were dropped while toppling Saddam 
Hussein. And still fifteen years after it was first used in Iraq, 
there is only one U.S. government study monitoring veterans exposed 
to depleted uranium. 

Despite all the hardship he endures, Hamid Bahmani welcomed Press TV 
into his home, and with the help of his loving and caring wife gave 
an account of his experiences in war-torn Iraq. 

TG: What made you change from filming sports to recording a war? 

HB: I had been a cameraman during wars in Afghanistan and Bosnia. In 
my profession I was known as "portable," because of my strong arms. I 
could carry a camera weighing 20 kilograms attached to 250 meters of 
cable for several hours, without ever getting tired. I had the 
physical ability then, I was fit and I knew the region. I was 
familiar with the customs and traditions and I had some knowledge of 
the language. I guess these were the reasons I was chosen to go to 
Iraq as part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) 
press team. 

TG: Are journalists aware of dangers they face in wars? 

HB: Journalists are brave people. Every journalist loves his work. 
Those who write love their pen and paper; a photographer loves his 
camera. 

TG: What makes cameramen reporting a war different from their 
colleagues? 

HB: A cameraman who goes to report a war knows he has to be ready to 
take care of his camera as if it were his own child. He has to know 
his camera well and be able to repair it when needed. In a war zone, 
there is no one to help you with that. 

TG: What do you love about your job? 

HB: I love the feeling of belonging to people, not just my own 
countrymen but I belong to the entire world. Anyone working in 
broadcast journalism belongs to the entire world. Networks are mostly 
global now. The job we have chosen has dangerous routes. There is the 
possibility of injury or death. I want to let my films play and allow 
people to make judgments for themselves. 

I hope the world would more strongly condemn wars, in particular the 
use of chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. 

TG: What are some of your most famous images from the Iraq war? 

HB: One showed American soldiers kicking and opening a door to a 
house and a frightened Iraqi woman inside rushing to protect her 
child. In another one American troops were beating a hand-cuffed man 
in the back with their guns. There are many more. 

TG: Where were you when you were hit by the bombing? 

HB: I was in Basra. The house I was in was destroyed and everyone 
else in it got killed. 
After the bombing my face became very hot. I was taken to a hospital. 
My sight and my hearing were affected but the extent of the damage 
was not immediately apparent. My medical reports are my evidence. 

TG: What bombs were used in that region? 

HB: They were American Dirty Bombs, which contained depleted uranium. 
The Pentagon itself announced that they had used tons of such bombs 
there. International environmental agencies confirmed the use. 
Children as well as adults have been the victims of these weapons. 
Even the American and British troops themselves were affected, but 
they were not aware of the harm they had received until later. They 
did not realize that they were also being experimented on. 

These bombs affect all organs and cause injuries to the eyes and 
lungs. They slowly hinder the function of other organs and severely 
damage the body. Uranium passes through the body within 3 to 5 days, 
but its effects on soil and air will last thousands of years. The 
region is still contaminated. These bombs wage a never-ending war. 

TG: Are you receiving any compensation? Who pays for your treatment? 

HB: I have received a loan from IRIB and the monthly installments are 
deducted from my salary. Since December 2006 I have been able to use 
IRIB's insurance scheme. Before that I paid all my own expenses. 

TG: Have you asked for support from any organization? 

HB: No, because I do not seek financial support. I have been able to 
cover my expenses even before the help I received from IRIB. But I 
expected the members of Majlis (Iranian parliament), especially the 
MP from my native Mazandaran, to follow up my story off camera. I was 
injured while reporting for my people. I just wonder why people who 
have been dedicated to their work and their people are so easily 
forgotten. 

TG: If you were told beforehand that you would suffer such injuries, 
would you still have gone to Iraq? 

HB: Yes. I assure you that even if I only had 0.5% sight in even one 
eye today I would still go again, to film and to report. I promise 
you. 

TG: Have you ever considered another career? 

HB: No, Never. I love this job. I have not bid farewell to my camera, 
my career and I never will. 

TG/BG 

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http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=2612§ionid=3510302
© Press TV 2007. All rights reserved.


dominouglias <rrands at bigpond.net.au> wrote: 
  To: du-watch at yahoogroups.com
  From: "dominouglias" <rrands at bigpond.net.au>
  Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 05:02:28 -0000
  Subject: [DU-WATCH] Hamid Bahmani interview


  Zoom on Hamid Bahmani, life has no playbacks
  Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:54:25 
  Touria Ghaffari 
  Press TV 

  In spring 2007 Iranian journalism will get the spotlight with 
  Jahangir Razmi finally claiming his Pulitzer Prize for a photo he 
  took 28 years ago. The Pulitzer which was awarded to "an unnamed 
  photographer of United Press International" back in 1979 marks the 
  only time the Prize has been awarded to an anonymous recipient. 

  Iranian journalists, like many others from the world over, have had 
  their fair share of brutal fate. Many died while reporting in the 8 
  year Iraq-imposed war in the 1980s, others while on assignments for 
  foreign media. 

  In 1990 Farzad Bazoft, 31, an Iranian-born freelance journalist 
  working for the London based newspaper, The Observer, was executed by 
  hanging in Iraq. He was charged for spying after a one-day trial 
  behind closed doors which lacked any conclusive evidence of his 
  guilt. 

  Bazoft was a reporter doing a story, investigating a mysterious 
  explosion at Al Iskandaria military complex, linked to secret missile 
  developments and storage of chemical weapons Saddam received from the 
  West to use against his own people and Iranian soldiers defending 
  their homeland. 

  The British government, fearing the efforts would tarnish diplomatic 
  relations, did not pressure Saddam Hussein hard enough, allowing the 
  young journalist to be sent to the gallows. 

  According to Guardian Unlimited, the execution of Farzad Bazoft 
  provides one more illustration of the failure of the British 
  government's appeasement policy. 

  In 2003, Kaveh Golestan, well known Iranian photographer and 
  filmmaker working for the BBC in northern Iraq, was killed instantly 
  after stepping on a landmine. 

  The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that in 2006, 
  fifty-five journalists were killed worldwide, an increase over the 47 
  in the previous year. 

  The New York-based non-partisan international organization stated 
  that Iraq was the deadliest place for journalists with 32 killings, 
  followed by Afghanistan and the Philippines, with three deaths each. 

  Hamid Bahmani, 43, is an Iranian cameraman who was in Iraq at the 
  time coalition forces invaded the country in 2003. His images for Al 
  Alam, filmed while riding on an American tank, were the first live 
  accounts of the Iraq war, relayed by CNN and other networks, giving 
  the then newly established Arabic language channel a reputation for 
  daring reports and a prominent place among its rivals. 

  But Mr. Bahmani is not reporting any more. He is one of the million 
  victims of depleted uranium bombs dropped on Iraqi soil by allied 
  forces. He has lost sight in both eyes and recently his health 
  deteriorated further, targeting his lungs, making breathing a 
  strenuous job for him. 

  According to Deborah Hastings, AP National Writer, an estimated 286 
  tons of depleted uranium munitions were fired by the U.S. in Iraq and 
  Kuwait in 1991. Another 130 tons were dropped while toppling Saddam 
  Hussein. And still fifteen years after it was first used in Iraq, 
  there is only one U.S. government study monitoring veterans exposed 
  to depleted uranium. 

  Despite all the hardship he endures, Hamid Bahmani welcomed Press TV 
  into his home, and with the help of his loving and caring wife gave 
  an account of his experiences in war-torn Iraq. 

  TG: What made you change from filming sports to recording a war? 

  HB: I had been a cameraman during wars in Afghanistan and Bosnia. In 
  my profession I was known as "portable," because of my strong arms. I 
  could carry a camera weighing 20 kilograms attached to 250 meters of 
  cable for several hours, without ever getting tired. I had the 
  physical ability then, I was fit and I knew the region. I was 
  familiar with the customs and traditions and I had some knowledge of 
  the language. I guess these were the reasons I was chosen to go to 
  Iraq as part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) 
  press team. 

  TG: Are journalists aware of dangers they face in wars? 

  HB: Journalists are brave people. Every journalist loves his work. 
  Those who write love their pen and paper; a photographer loves his 
  camera. 

  TG: What makes cameramen reporting a war different from their 
  colleagues? 

  HB: A cameraman who goes to report a war knows he has to be ready to 
  take care of his camera as if it were his own child. He has to know 
  his camera well and be able to repair it when needed. In a war zone, 
  there is no one to help you with that. 

  TG: What do you love about your job? 

  HB: I love the feeling of belonging to people, not just my own 
  countrymen but I belong to the entire world. Anyone working in 
  broadcast journalism belongs to the entire world. Networks are mostly 
  global now. The job we have chosen has dangerous routes. There is the 
  possibility of injury or death. I want to let my films play and allow 
  people to make judgments for themselves. 

  I hope the world would more strongly condemn wars, in particular the 
  use of chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. 

  TG: What are some of your most famous images from the Iraq war? 

  HB: One showed American soldiers kicking and opening a door to a 
  house and a frightened Iraqi woman inside rushing to protect her 
  child. In another one American troops were beating a hand-cuffed man 
  in the back with their guns. There are many more. 

  TG: Where were you when you were hit by the bombing? 

  HB: I was in Basra. The house I was in was destroyed and everyone 
  else in it got killed. 
  After the bombing my face became very hot. I was taken to a hospital. 
  My sight and my hearing were affected but the extent of the damage 
  was not immediately apparent. My medical reports are my evidence. 

  TG: What bombs were used in that region? 

  HB: They were American Dirty Bombs, which contained depleted uranium. 
  The Pentagon itself announced that they had used tons of such bombs 
  there. International environmental agencies confirmed the use. 
  Children as well as adults have been the victims of these weapons. 
  Even the American and British troops themselves were affected, but 
  they were not aware of the harm they had received until later. They 
  did not realize that they were also being experimented on. 

  These bombs affect all organs and cause injuries to the eyes and 
  lungs. They slowly hinder the function of other organs and severely 
  damage the body. Uranium passes through the body within 3 to 5 days, 
  but its effects on soil and air will last thousands of years. The 
  region is still contaminated. These bombs wage a never-ending war. 

  TG: Are you receiving any compensation? Who pays for your treatment? 

  HB: I have received a loan from IRIB and the monthly installments are 
  deducted from my salary. Since December 2006 I have been able to use 
  IRIB's insurance scheme. Before that I paid all my own expenses. 

  TG: Have you asked for support from any organization? 

  HB: No, because I do not seek financial support. I have been able to 
  cover my expenses even before the help I received from IRIB. But I 
  expected the members of Majlis (Iranian parliament), especially the 
  MP from my native Mazandaran, to follow up my story off camera. I was 
  injured while reporting for my people. I just wonder why people who 
  have been dedicated to their work and their people are so easily 
  forgotten. 

  TG: If you were told beforehand that you would suffer such injuries, 
  would you still have gone to Iraq? 

  HB: Yes. I assure you that even if I only had 0.5% sight in even one 
  eye today I would still go again, to film and to report. I promise 
  you. 

  TG: Have you ever considered another career? 

  HB: No, Never. I love this job. I have not bid farewell to my camera, 
  my career and I never will. 

  TG/BG 

  E-mail this to a friend Printable version 
  Count of view : 123

  http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=2612§ionid=3510302
  © Press TV 2007. All rights reserved.