The UK Government says it is unlikely to comment on the death of award-winning photographer Richard Mills in Zimbabwe because of the general sensitivity of matters between the two countries.
A UK Foreign Office spokeswoman told Amateur Photographer (AP) magazine: ?We have provided full consular services to the family.?
But she declined to comment further, telling us that the Foreign Office does not have an ?investigative? role.
It has been reported that Mills, who worked for The Times newspaper, was working on an undercover assignment in Zimbabwe, where many media organisations are banned, at the time of his death.
The photographer?s father, also called Richard, told the Belfast Telegraph newspaper: ?The official line [from the Zimbabwean authorities] is that he took his own life.
‘But we?re getting conflicting stories. That?s probably the most difficult thing. The death certificate says he died from asphyxiation due to hanging. We find that totally incomprehensible. It?s totally out of character for him.?
A member of The Times syndication department, when asked for pictures taken by Mills for an article in AP, said that his death was still ?shrouded in a bit of a mystery?.
At the time of writing The British Embassy in Zimbabwe had yet to issue a statement to us.
The press attaché at the Zimbabwean Embassy in London told us he was not aware of the incident and was not able to comment.
Paying tribute to a ?fearless? photographer yesterday?s obituary in The Times did not indicate the manner of Richard?s death, only saying he was found dead on 14 July aged 41.
To read The Times obituary visit https://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article4411748.ece
