- Date
- 23/11/2000
- First
- Adam
- Surname
- Tepsurkayev
- Sex/Age
- M, 24
- Incident
- homicide
- Motive
- ?J
- Place
- village
- Job
- cameraman
- Medium
- TV
- Federal District Plus
- Chechnya
- Street, Town, Region
- Alkhan-Kala (Yermolovka), Chechnya
- Freelance
- yes
- Local/National
- foreign, Reuters
- Other Ties
- Cause of Death
- crossfire
- Legal Qualification
- no information
- Impunity
- investigation, halted
Adam Tepsurkayev, a freelance cameraman, was shot dead in Chechnya on the night of 23 November 2000. He was gunned down by Chechen-speakers in his native village of Alkhan-Kala (Yermolovka).
The death of Tepsurkayev, who worked with Reuters among other media broadcasters, was confirmed by presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky who said that a criminal case had been instigated.
Tepsurkayev was not a professional journalist. When the second Chechen campaign began he started by driving foreign journalists. Then foreign news agencies asked if he could film in the battle zone. Tepsurkayev filmed from inside Grozny, then held by Chechen fighters, and after escaping the city he took sensational pictures of the operation to amputate part of the wounded Shamil Basayev's leg.
According to one report federal forces had recently confiscated film Tepsurkayev had taken during their autumn “cleansing“ operation of the the village of Tangi-Chu.