raffaele ciriello

Raffaele e' morto per la crudele stupidita' della guerra in generale, e per la indotta idiota stupidita' di un uomo che mai conosceremo.

Raffaele - fotoreporter e socio TAU Visual - e' un'anima davvero bella. Chiediamo a tutti i soci TAU Visual ed a tutti i colleghi che desiderino ricordarlo di mandare una cartolina, scrivendo un saluto ed un ringraziamento a Raffaele, inviandola qui in sede (Associazione Nazionale Fotografi Professionisti TAU Visual - via Manara, 7 - 20122 Milano); porteremo noi le cartoline alla moglie e la famiglia. Non pubblichiamo l'indirizzo di Raffaele, la cui casa e' qui vicino alla sede, per motivi di opportunita', specie in questi primi giorni.

Fra i Soci TAU Visual verranno organizzate delle iniziative a supporto della famiglia di Raffaele.

Se vuoi lasciare un tuo breve saluto pubblico a Raffaele su questo sito, puoi pubblicarlo qui.

(se vuoi leggere i saluti gia' pubblicati fino ad ora, vai qui)

Raffaele Ciriello - e questo va detto - era un medico, oltre che un fotoreporter. Proprio in questi giorni era il "compleanno" della sua laurea in medicina, conseguita del 12 marzo del 1987.

Periodicamente, stava via da Milano per alcune settimane o mesi per i reportage di guerra di cui era diventato assolutamente specialista. Le immagini dell'amica Maria Grazia Cutuli - la giornalista uccisa in Afganistan - che avevano fatto il giro del mondo, erano le sue (erano state rilanciate dall'Ansa, a sua insaputa. Scherzi del destino).

Amava la vita. Amava la gente. Amava la giustizia. Era eccezionalmente corretto, lineare, era apprezzatissimo per la sua specializzazione ed umanità, e sapeva farsi apprezzare e rispettare dai suoi interlocutori, editori in primo luogo.

Ciao, Raffaele.

Volevamo ricordarti e dirti tutti "ciao".

Non riportiamo le notizie di cronaca: tanto, telegionali e notiziari in rete sono centinaia.

Riportiamo invece le lettere che TU scrivevi dai campi di vita e di morte nei quali ti muovevi per aiutarci a capire.

Riportiamo l'estratto delle mail che TU mandavi a chi si era iscritto alla tua mailing list (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/postcardsfromhell)

(se vuoi pubblicare sul sito un saluto pubblico a Raffaele, vai qui)

E ORA? NON FERMIAMOCI ALL'EMOZIONE

ESTRATTI DELLE LETTERE CHE
RAFFAELE SCRIVEVA ALLA SUA MAILING LIST

NEWSLETTER DIGEST - PREVIOUSLY POSTED MESSAGES

September 24, 2001
[PFH] Newsletter 010914 Ahmed Shah Massud, Death of an Hero

Dear Friends,

I am writing You these few lines, shortly before leaving for one more trip back to Afghanistan. And it is difficult for me to address You whatever consideration, after we all still have our eyes full of the horrific deeds from these recent days.
However, I would invite You to remember a true Hero, one of the very few left in this beginning of century, Commander Ahmed Shah Massud.
The leader of the anti-Taleban coalition, a man who has fought for almost 25 years, against the Russian invaders before, and then the barbaric hordes of self-appointed coranic students, succumbed to his injuries on September 15th, after suffering an assassination attempt managed by 2 arab "journalists" who ignited an explosive device concealed in a video camera shortly after starting an interview with Commander Massud. Killed on the spot, also Mr. Asim Suhail, one of Massud's youngest aides, an educated, fluent english speaking men who had assisted me, too, exactly one year ago, with the translation of Commander Massud's interview which You may have already read HERE

I was lucky enough to meet Ahmed Shah Massud during all my trips to Afghanistan, so You may see a variety of pictures in the 1995 - 2001 range at
http://www.ciriello.com/46massud.html

There, You may also read the text of a message Commander Massud addressed to the people of the United States in 1998.

My October 2001 interview is available both in english and italian
Finally, I was setting up a digest of news about the assassination attempt and (hopefully) the prompt recovery of Commander Massud, as at first seemed the case. If You may want to live again those few days of hope and despair, you may check out THIS LINK

where You will also find a picture of Mr. Asim Suhail, the killed aide-translator.

At the end of this message an interesting piece on how this deadly plot may have been setup.

I remind that a digest of previously posted messages is available at
http://www.ciriello.com/digest.html

While thanking You once again for our interest in my work, I am packing to Afghanistan, with my heart full of sorrow for a Friend that I will not see, this time.

Wishing You the very best,
A. Raffaele Ciriello

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August 14, 2001
[PFH] Newsletter 010814 BOSNIA Srebrenica, Surviving A Massacre

Dear Friend
Here in Italy we are in heart of Summer Holidays season. Temperatures reach African highs and almost everybody is seeking refreshment and relax far from overheated cities. I hope this newsletter, too, will find everybody resting and enjoying the season.
You may remember that my most recent newsletter was taking You straight back to last March 2001 and inside a training camp for albanian independentist fighters from UCPMB / KLA.
The whole story is still posted,together with previous issues of this newsletter, at
http://www.ciriello.com/digest.html
Related portfolios are available HERE
while a selection of videos is available at
http://www.ciriello.com/videos

This new posting originates from a recent sentence from the Hague Court for War Crimes in Ex-Jugoslavia.
You can read the whole story HERE

"On August 2nd, 2001, at the end of a 16-months trial, the international Hague court for war crimes in ex-Jugoslavia, created by UN in May 1993, found Bosnian-Serb Gen. Radislav Krstic, 53, guilty of genocide and sentenced him to 46 years of prison, the longest sentence ever issued by this UN tribunal. Gen. Krstic was found guilty of all eight charges leveled against him, including extermination, persecution, deportation and other crimes against humanity. Former commander of the 15000 member Drina Corps, he led the final assault to the muslim Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica, in 1995, where more than 7000 unarmed muslim men and boys were executed between July 12 and July 19, in what is widely recognized as the greatest atrocity in Europe since WWII..." (...)

You will see two picture portfolios, from Srebrenica refugees and from related mass graves. One of these portfolios is actually one of worst fiascos in my career (read more...)

You may also read the sentencing judgement by Judge Almiro Rodriguez from Portugal.
Also available, a digest from several sources from international press about this landmark-sentence HERE

As always, please feel free to feedback at
http://www.ciriello.com/listfeedback.html

While thanking You once more for Your interest in my Postcards From Hell, I wish all of You, Dear Friends, the sweetest Summer Holiday Season.

A. Raffaele Ciriello

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July 15, 2001
[PFH] Newsletter 010715 KOSOVO, the Fight is Not Over

Dear Friends,
First of all, a big THANK YOU for Your support!
More than 200 subscribers are reading this newsletter, and the total
number of visitor for my website Postcards From Hell at http://www.ciriello.com is well over 200.000 since its debut in October 1999!

A digest for previous posted message is available, as usual at
http://www.ciriello.com/digest.html

Now, let me beg Your pardon for this huge delay after my last newsletter
which was focusing, as You may remember, on Palestinian Sabra and Chatila refugee camps in Beirut, theater of maybe the worst carnage in recent Years in Middle East, for which more and more often Mr. Ariel Sharon, current israelian Prime Minister is plainly blamed (HERE).

Last March-April, I visited southern Kosovo and Presevo valley, a border area between Kosovo and Serbia, where albanian independentist fighters variously linked to former UCK-KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) had grouped and staged several attacks against Yugoslav forces stationed in nearby areas. They could take profit of being nested in GSZ (Ground Safety Zone), a 5-kms. wide demilitarized strip carved inside southern Serbia, originally intended to keep apart incoming NATO troops and retreating Yugoslav military. I reached one of the main commanders of UCPMB (Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac) and spent some time with him.I interviewed commander Mohammed Jamaili (Xhemaili), in his stronghold in Muhovc, just a few miles far from a US/Russian joint managed NATO checkpoint.Entoured by his fighters, most of them fresh teenager recruits, a few of them veterans from 1996-1999 war against Serbs, he claimed loudly that he would fight til the last of his men rather than letting the Serbs enter the Ground Safety Zone. Unfortunately, he would be put under tough test earlier than he could imagine. Indeed, under a KFOR sponsored agreement, Serbian military were allowed to progressively enter the GSZ in the following weeks. KFOR, most likely, eager to stop violence from Albanian Independentists from UCK/KLA/UCPBM, better preferred to allow the Serbs to come back on a territory which, although artificially labeled, never ceased to be part of Serbia rather than Kosovo, in spite of a heavy ethnic majority of Albanians among the residents.Actually, no heavy fight, although feared, was reported. A huge majority of UCPMB members - and Commander Jamaili's adepts amongst them - disbanded or took profit of the option to surrender weapons and go back to their villages undisturbed. Commander Jamaili's whereabouts are not clear.His arrest was foreseen and announced, but never confirmed. So i guess he still must be somewhere in the nature.You will see 2 portfolios from my visit and stay with Commander Jamaili, including coverage of the military training of UCPMB recruits. As You will notice immediately, I blurred the faces of young fighters. Most of these have come back to their villages now and I do not want them to suffer the slightest inconvenience from these picture going public. Instead, You will see clearly Commander Jamaili and his aides
HERE and HERE

You may also see the following VIDEOS
1 KFOR chief commander, Gen. Cabigiosu (Italy) and Serb Vice-Premier Mr. Nebojsa Covic briefing journalist about just-signed treaty to allow Serb Military to re-enter GSZ (Ground Safety Zone)
http://www.ciriello.com/pix/vid/52cabi1.mpg (1248 K)

2 Training activity in UCPMB camp
http://www.ciriello.com/pix/vid/52training1.mpg (344 K)
http://www.ciriello.com/pix/vid/52training2.mpg (488 K)
http://www.ciriello.com/pix/vid/52training3.mpg (5370 K)

Following below, some references from freely accessible internet sources about the said ongoings.

Please feel free to feedback at
http://www.ciriello.com/listfeedback.html

Thank You for Your interest in my Postcards From Hell.

A. Raffaele Ciriello

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March 26, 2001
[PFH] Newsletter 010326 (The legacy of Ariel Sharon - Sabra and Chatila)
Dear Friends,
This time I would like to invite You to a visual tour through Sabra and Chatila Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut HERE
This tour would be greatly complemented by a superb piece of reading which I strongly recommend:
"The Legacy of Ariel Sharon", written by Robert Fisk on the british newspaper The Independent, about the straight, unquestionable involvment of Mr. Ariel Sharon, current Israelian Prime Minister, in the carnage that took place in these camps in September 18, 1982.
URL for the original page on The Independent website is
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Middle_East/2001-02/fisk060201.shtml
You may access this text also HERE

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March 2nd, 2001
[PFH] Newsletter 010302 AFGHANISTAN: Endangered Bamiyan's Buddha Statues

Dear Friends,
As You may know already, with a decree issued personally last Monday by Mullah Omar, the political and religious leader of Afghanistan rulers, the hyper-integrist islamic Taleban movement, all statues of divinities have been banned in Afghanistan; statues left will be actively searched and destroyed.
Accordind to several reports, this harshest spring cleaning campaign has started already. Most endangered, besides several Buddhas currently located in Kabul's museum, two giant Buddhas from the 5th century standing carved in the mountain's rock in the central region of Bamiyan, Hazarajat.
These statues, who were defaced in the past due to somehow poor religious compliance, suffered pretty severe damage in 1998 and 1999, following fighting raging in that area, and, reportedly, after a zealous Taleban commander shoot at them with some rocket and artillery he had hand-ready. This gentleman also drilled several holes in the taller statue's face, to help the insertion of dynamite to blow it off completely.
Fortunately, this second part of his task went unsuccessful.
I would like to invite You to take a visual tour of these peaceful, unharmful, silent, long-standing giants (50+ and almost 40 meters tall), and of the incredible beauty of the surrounding region, at
http://www.ciriello.com/pw/46bamiyan

I was in Bamiyan for just one tense day, together with a journalist colleague, Mrs. Maria Grazia Cutuli

Indeed, the Hezb-I-Wahdat, allied at that time with Commander Massud's Jamiat-I-Islami, had just recaptured Bamiyan, from the uzbeks of General Dostum. I will regret for all my life not having climbed inside the taller statue to enjoy what should have been a breath-stopping sight.
If I just think these statues could be rubbles within a few hours...
You will find also a link to a valuable complete historical overview provided by
the Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage (SPACH)

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January 16, 2001
Report: "Three Days on the Frontline" (Afghanistan) and enhanced search engine

Dear Friend,
Italian readers may enjoy, since a few hours, a long report I just posted about
a three-days stay on the Afghan front lines in Awar Soy. This stay was suddenly interrupted by the Taleban smashing through United Front's opponents' lines.
The italian version is posted HERE
I will do my best to post the english translation ASAP.

Since a few hours, You can search Postcards From Hell's contents starting from every page.
That is, every page carries its own search engine request form, in the upper menu bar, so You do not need any longer to access the search page HERE
unless You may have to run complex searches.

Please try this new feature and report any glitch You may encounter or any suggestion You may have.

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January 3, 2001
Interview with Commander Massud, in English

Dear Friends,

Thanks also to the cooperation with http://www.AnalisiDifesa.it
bilingual website dedicated to military/defense issues,
I posted on PFH the English translation of the interview I had
with commander Ahmed Shah Massud after closely tracking him for almost one week
during my last recent stay in Afghanistan

The interview is posted HERE

A picture portfolio about Commander Massud, whom I met the first time in Kabul in 1995 is available HERE

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December 9, 2000
Interview with Commander Massud (Italian text)

Dear Friend,

I recently posted on my website "Postcards From Hell" a long interview with Commander Ahmed Shah Massud, Defense Minister of Afghan Government and long-time last man standing against Taleban's ruling in Afghanistan.
This interview is currently in ITALIAN, but an English translation will follow ASAP.
Italian Text HERE

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December 31, 2000
New Search Engine and Sierra Leone section revised

Dear Friends,
Postcards From Hell runs now its own search engine.
You may access the search page from within the upper/lower navigation bar or straight at
http://www.ciriello.com/search.html
This feature should prove pretty useful for those "yes or no" researches.
Try it and please feel free to report any possible glitch.

I completed and revised the captions in my "Sierra Leone" section.
So, at
http://www.ciriello.com/56main.html
You may now find the following portfolios:
Sierra Leone, an Overlook
Children at War
Diamonds, the Heart of the Matter
Horror Tales
SLA Sierra Leone Army (Training by British Army)
Kamajors, Civil Defense Forces
UNAMSIL, United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone

Wish You the very best and fruitful 2001

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November 6, 2000
Recent Posting: Afghanistan 2000

Dear Friends,
I recently posted on my website "Postcards From Hell" - fully dedicated to war/conflict areas photojournalism - several picture portfolios from my last trip to (Northern) Afghanistan on last September-October.
So, at the address
http://www.ciriello.com or
http://www.ciriello.com/46main (Afghanistan main page)

these recent portfolios:
- United Front
- On The Frontline
- Rocket Launchers at Work
- Taleban Prisoners
- Daily Life in Northern Afghanistan
- Polaroid Portraits
- Commander Massud

join the previously posted
- Daily Life in Kabul
- Landmines, a Silent Tragedy
- Northern Alliance
- Taleban, Who Are They?
- The Plight Of Afghan Women
- Afghan Children
- Bodybuilding Clubs in Kabul
- One Day in Bamiyan
- Commander Massud
- President Rabbani
to offer what is maybe the most comprehensive available overlook on Afghanistan

Furthermore, You may download a list (in Persian, .PDF format) of Pakistani fighters currently detained by United Front forces and a list of Taleban prisoners as well.

E ORA? NON FERMIAMOCI ALL'EMOZIONE