USA refused to pay the family of the killed reporter

US government refused to provide financial aid to the family of Ukrainian reporter of Reuters Taras Protsyuk killed in Iraq in 2003.
Deputy Assistant of US Secretary of State Steven Paifer said that Americans bring their condolences to the reporter’s family, but the reporter had decided to go to the region where war was conducted, on his own will and had been ready for certain risk. The official added that the USA considers the death of the reporter as an accident.

35-year old Taras Protsyuk died on April 8, 2003 after an American tank fired at the Palestina Hotel in Baghdad. At that time 9 Ukrainian reporters were covering the Iraqi war. Taras Protsyuk had big experience with Reuters, he was filming in Bosnia, Chechnya, Afghanistan and Kosovo. He had a wife and 8-year old son.

After the death of the reporter Ukrainian Foreign Ministry recommended the USA and Great Britain to investigate the incident thoroughly and punish those guilty of the tragedy. However, the investigation conducted by Americans chose the version of the accident and failed to recognize the US troops’ mistake.

The relatives of the six reporters killed in Iraq (including the relatives of Taras Protsyuk) submitted their appeal to the US Congress and requested new investigation. The families wrote that they suffer because of “the pain caused by the silence and contradictory statements by the US administration about the deaths of the reporters”.