Charges pressed against six Russians for death of Dutch cameraman in 2008

RTL Nieuws correspondent Jeroen Akkermans has pressed charges against six Russian soldiers for involvement in the death of cameraman Stan Storimans in Georgia in 2008. He filed the charges with the Public Prosecution Service’s (OM) International Crimes Team along with Marjolein Storimans, the cameraman’s widow, the broadcaster reported on Friday.

Stan Storiman and 11 Georgians were killed on 12 August 2008 when a Russian missile with cluster munitions hit him in the Georgian city of Gori. Akkermans was injured. A short war was raging between Russia and Georgia at the time. Gori was not a military target and the city was largely deserted, with only civilians remaining behind.

“Russia still denies being responsible, despite the wealth of video, photo, and forensic evidence available,” Akkermans said. “They lie about it and try to get away with it all these years. But I still want justice. For Stan and all the others.”

In the years since that day, Akkermans has collaborated with experts in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), a group of citizen researchers who conduct research in public sources, to find those responsible for the missile strike on a civilian target. They have identified six Russians whom they believe were involved in the attack.

The researchers determined that the missile that hit the Gori square was an Iksander SS-26 filled with cluster munitions and fired from Russian territory. Only Russia had that type of missile at the time. It was one of the newest weapons in the Russian arsenal at the time, and Moscow was keen to test its effectiveness and accuracy in practice.

Data from Russian public sources and in chat groups of the relevant Russian armed forces units helped the researchers identify six soldiers who must have been involved in the missile launch. They include the driver of the rocket launcher, who despite his low rank, was given a high Russian award for courage, heroism, and defense of the homeland. There are also several senior officers of the Iksander unit, who also received awards in 2008, and their commanders.

Akkermans and Marjolein Storimans decided to file these charges with the OM because previous attempts at justice at the International Criminal Court and the European Court of Human Rights have so far failed.

“It concerns a missile attack on a civilian target and yet no judge has looked into this case,” Akkermans told RTL. “That is very painful. After almost sixteen years, our patience is running out and we feel obliged to take this step ourselves.”