Peter Joseph Niesewand (30 June 1944 – 4 February 1983), journalist and novelist, was born in South Africa[1] but grew up in Rhodesia where he ran a news bureau, filing for the BBC, United Press, AFP, and many newspapers, notably the Guardian.
On 20 February 1973[2] he was arrested and spent 73 days in solitary confinement for his criticism of conditions under Ian Smith's government and his coverage of the guerrilla war.
He emigrated to the United Kingdom to complete his only non-fiction book, "In Camera: Secret Justice in Rhodesia",[3] and was named 1973 International Journalist of the Year, an award he won again in 1976 for his coverage of the Lebanese civil war, again for the Guardian.
Niesewand is credited by Colin Smith in Carlos - Portrait of a Terrorist[5] for originating terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez's 'Jackal' alias: The nickname the Guardian reporter Peter Niesewand had inspired by mentioning the Forsyth thriller[6] found along with the arms cache in Angela Otaola's bedsit was a perfect fit.
Derogatory yet with just a hint of admiration for the cunning of the canine sometimes known as "the lion's provider".Besides journalism and non-fiction Niesewand also wrote five novels: