April is a tough month for CIVIC’s family and friends. Every April 16, we remember our founder and inspiration, Marla Ruzicka, who was killed in Baghdad in 2005. And on April 20, we pause to remember her friend, and friend of CIVIC, award-winning photographer Chris Hondros.
Like most war photographers, Chris was no stranger to danger. He was a restless soul, never able to stay put for very long. That restlessness drew him to cover most of the world’s major conflicts beginning in the late 1990s and made him a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. You’ve likely seen his images on the front pages of newspapers such as The New York Times, Washington Post, and many others.
On April 20, 2011, Chris and his friend, Tim Hetherington, were on assignment in Misrata, Libya, when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded near them, killing them both. It was a crushing shock to all their friends and families.
Chris was passionately devoted to documenting how conflict had harmed civilians, and his images of civilians struggling to survive amidst bullets and bombs gave us all an immediate understanding of the gravity of war. CIVIC has been blessed to have permission to use his images to raise awareness of their suffering.
We miss Chris, but we haven’t forgotten his passion or his mission to document the cruelty of conflict that afflicts civilians every day of the year. Your work lives on, Chris.
