Pavle Kozjek, 49, died on August 25 after falling 2000 metres on the Mustagh Tower (Ice Tower) in Pakistan. Kozjek had been among a group of Western climbers who witnessed Chinese border guards opening fire on a caravan of Tibetan refugees as they attempted to flee into exile on 30 September 2006.

The Tibetans were crossing the Nangpa La Pass on the Tibet-Nepal border when they were fired at by the Chinese border guards. Kozjek was the first climber from the group to answer calls for evidence that the border guards had killed one of the refugees. The image he released to the adventure web portal, ExplorersWeb, was broadcast by major television networks worldwide; it showed a body, later confirmed to be that of Kelsang Namtso, lying in the snow. The image that Pavle released countered irrefutably initial Chinese government denials that Chinese border guards had opened fire on the Tibetans and that a young nun had been killed as a result. The image was also circulated to governments concerned about the case.

The image also attracted global attention to the dangers encountered by Tibetans when making the hazardous journey over the Himalayas into exile. On average, 2500 Tibetans flee from persecution in Tibet each year. The incident at the Nangpa La Pass was the first time such an act of brutality had been witnessed and photographed by Western mountaineers. Pavle showed great moral courage in allowing his photograph to be released to the world’s media, risking future climbing permits in Tibet to do so.

Director of Free Tibet Campaign, Stephanie Brigden, said:

Before the photographs were published the Chinese Government first denied the incident at Nangpa La and then attempted to justify the shooting as an act of 'self defence'. Pavle's courage to bear witness and to publish the photographs proved these claims to be false. His courage is testimony of how one man's action can truly make a difference – he, his family, friends and loved ones are in our thoughts at this very sad time.

Image courtesy Pavle Kozjek/ExplorersWeb