Homecoming for Canadian ex-hostage

 

A young woman kidnapped in Haiti on May 21 has returned home to Quebec after being released on Wednesday night. The student, Nadia Lefebvre, was a voluntary worker for a medical humanitarian group when she was seized in Port-au-Prince. Though it is rare for humanitarian workers to be taken hostage there, Haiti has seen a rise in the number of kidnappings over the last year, as I reported in a post a few days ago about recent figures from Amnesty International.

One year later in Iraq

 

The families of five men who were taken hostage in Iraq one year ago today marked the solemn anniversary by recording messages for their loved ones. The men were employed by a security firm and were taken at the Iraqi Ministry of Finance. Only one of the men has been identified publicly – Peter Moore. The kidnappers have released two videos of the hostages since their capture and the British Foreign Office states that it is negotiating for their release.

 

Amnesty’s State of the World’s Human Rights

 

Amnesty International released its annual report today, State of the World’s Human Rights 2008. Among the countries the report cites as having significant incidents of hostage-taking in 2007 are Afghanistan, Burundi, Haiti, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestine and Sudan. But perhaps the most alarming figure comes in the analysis of Colombia, where a reported 521 persons were abducted last year.

Honorary degree for Johnston

 

Alan Johnston, the BBC reporter held hostage in Gaza last year for 114 days, will receive an honorary degree from his alma mater, Dundee University this June. Johnston has reported from many of the world’s danger zones, including those with high rates of kidnappings. He penned a book about this captivity in Gaza called Kidnapped and Other Dispatches, which was released earlier this year, and spoke to Canada’s Globe and Mail about the experience in an interview on Monday.

Iranian kidnappers seek to swap hostage

 

The kidnappers of a Japanese university student taken hostage in Iran in October are willing to release the man in exchange for the release of a relative on death row. Hostage-taking in Iran has been exceptionally rare following the 1979 seizure of the American embassy. The only other recent incident was the kidnapping of two Belgian tourists last year. The same gang is suspected in both cases.

Update on Austrian hostages

 

Diplomats have stated that negotiations are underway for two Austrians taken captive in February while on holiday in Tunisia. The plight of the hostages took a backseat to the Fritzl drama in their homeland, but it is believed that the Al Qaeda militants have taken them to Mali. The positive news is that it appears the hostage-takers have every intention of keeping their captives alive, as long as force is not used in any attempt to rescue them.

 

This blog from Vicki provides detailed coverage of the Austrian hostage drama.

Norman Kember on BBC

 

The BBC World Service has a programme this week featuring the story of British peace activist Norman Kember, who was taken hostage in Iraq in November 2005. The programme reunites Kember with members of the team that worked to secure his release after four months.

 

Click here to listen or download the programme.

Various and sundry

 

Several new items of interest in the news in the past few days:

 

• In Nigeria, Islamic extremists are accused of kidnapping 13 Christian girls and destroying churches in south-eastern Nigeria.
• Two Italian volunteers of an NGO in Somalia were taken hostage this morning in a surge of violence that has seized the capital.
• The Center for International Policy’s Colombia blog features this entry about discussions with former FARC hostage Luis Eladio Perez, and his revealing thoughts about how the current hostages feel.

Profile of Clara Rojas

 

The Times of London today published an article about Clara Rojas, who was held hostage by FARC rebels for six years and was released in a deal with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez earlier this year. Rojas, as you may recall, gave birth to a son in captivity, who was later taken from her and placed in a foster home until her release. Clara’s story paints a lonely and grim portrait of her years as a hostage – but also how it has made her value her present life.

 

Freedom for Afghan hostages

 

Freedom came on several fronts to Afghan hostages over the weekend. On Saturday, Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan was freed after three months in captivity. Meanwhile, an Indian worker abducted by militants 27 days ago was rescued by security forces on Sunday.

 

In bad news, however, an Afghan on his way back to Afghanistan was kidnapped in Pakistan today by unknown armed persons.