POVEDA

We have just heard the news of the death of our friend, Christian Poveda.

Christian was assassinated in a country which he loved so much - El Salvador; he had spent years reporting on the gangs there.

His body was found on a road to the north of the capital, San Salvador. He had been shot dead while on his way home after a day's work taking photos in a district controlled by the gangs.

Christian Gregorio Poveda Ruiz, his full name, was French, of Spanish descent. He was 54 years old and had covered many wars and conflicts before concentrating on violence in El Salvador. Christian's photo reports and documentary films took a clear stance against the overzealous tactics of the police, explaining that consideration had to be given to the social problems of the kids who usually joined the gangs at about the age of thirteen.

One of his last documentaries, "La Vida loca," will be released in France on September 30.

The whole extended family of Visa pour l'Image, where Christian had an exhibition in September 2008, is in mourning.