Anton Hammerl’s children should be proud of their father. Top photographers from around the world have agreed to sell their photos online as part of an auction to raise money for Hammerl’s family, following the photojournalist’s killing in Libya earlier this year.
Pulitzer Prize winner Greg Marinovich, National Geographic’s David Burnett and New York Times photographer João Silva (who was himself severely injured while on assignment in Afghanistan last year) are among two dozen photographers donating their work to FriendsofAnton.org.
The proceeds will benefit the future education of Hammerl’s three children — Aurora, 11, Neo, 7, and six-month-old Hiro.
Hammerl, a former editor and chief photographer at The Saturday Star in Johannesburg, South Africa, was thought to have been captured by Moammar Gaddafi’s forces on April 5 along with photographer Manu Brabo, and journalists Clare Morgana Gillis and James Foley. However, it wasn’t until their release that details of Hammerl’s true fate were revealed.
After arriving home safe, Gillis told the Atlantic that the last time she saw Hammerl he had been shot in the stomach by Gaddafi loyalists and was lying in a pool of blood. Without medical attention, his death was imminent. He was just 41 years old.
The civil war in Libya has taken a devastating toll on the international community of photojournalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates there have been dozens attacks on photographers, and at least five have died. They include Oscar nominee Tim Hetherington and photojournalist Chris Hondros, who were killed by a rocket-propelled grenade in Libya in April.
To donate and view the pictures for sale in benefit of Hammerl’s children, head to FriendsofAnton.org.