China + FARC = unholy alliance

China has had the dubious distinction of doing business with actors and countries not known to be very nice to their people – think Sudan, Robert Mugabe, etc. Now a former FARC hostage is claiming that a Chinese multinational firm bribed FARC to allow its geophysicists to search for oil deposits in FARC-controlled territory. Oscar Lizcano, who was freed with the aide of a FARC deserter late last year after eight years in captivity, made the allegations in his new memoir Years in Silence.

Media blackouts

There’s been a lot of back-and-forth this week about the role of publicity in helping or hurting the case of a kidnap victim. When David Rohde (pictured above interviewing the Taliban, photo: Reuters) escaped from the Taliban and waltzed into the spotlight last weekend, many supported the prevailing media blackout that his employer, the New York Times, has requested regarding the case. There has been quite a bit of speculation that the Times may have even kept mum because it was attempting to blackmail or bribe the Taliban kidnappers.

The press had some interesting comments about the matter this week. The Christian Science Monitor has highlighted the fact that there are no fast and steady rules about such strategies on the part of the press. At Canada’s National Post, one columnist suggests there are double standards in place about media blackouts on current hostage crises. And over at National Public Radio, a journalism ethics professor expressed worry about how much else the press was withholding. Finally, former hostage Colin Freeman weighs in with the thought that information blackouts may be necessary to protect hostages from becoming even hotter commodities.

New appeals for Vagni

The Abu Sayyaf Group has made fresh ransom demands for the exchange of Eugenio Vagni, the Italian Red Cross worker who has been held hostage in the southern Philippines for more than 5 months. Religious leaders following the case claim there is “more hope than certainty” that Vagni will soon gain his freedom, and Vagni’s wife has appealed for prayers and action. Pope Benedict XVI was among those who issued a plea for Vagni’s release; from Rome he praised the Red Cross and appealed for the release of all hostages in armed conflicts.

Two Jasons

The remains of two men murdered by their hostage-takers in Iraq were identified yesterday as being those of Jason Swindlehurst and Jason Creswell. Both had worked as security guards in Baghdad prior to being seized in May 2007. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown expressed his condolences to the families; concerns are growing about the fate of three others kidnapped with the men.

Scenes from two wars: triumph, tragedy

A New York Times reporter who had been kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan nearly seven months ago has managed to escape from captivity by climbing over the wall of the compound where he was being held in northern Pakistan. David Rohde and his interpreter, Tahir Ludin, then made their way to an army base. Rohde’s confinement had been kept secret by his family and the paper since his 10 November abduction, who did not want to publicise the negotiations and potentially jeopardise others working in the region. Interestingly, this is the second kidnapping for Rohde, who was taken hostage in Bosnia years earlier.

On another front, in Iraq, two bodies have been handed over to British officials, who fear they may be two of five hostages captured in May 2007. Forensic examinations are underway to determine the identity and cause of death of the men.

El rescate perfecto

The Spanish language version of the Discovery Channel is touting a new documentary this month about the “perfect rescue” of several high profile hostages in Colombia last July. Based on extensive interviews with government officials, the rescue planners and some of the hostages, the film attempts to meticulously recreate Operación Jaque. The documentary premieres on 28 June and will run throughout the Spanish-speaking world that week, which coincides with the 2 July anniversary of the rescue operation. Click here to see sneak peek of photos from the film or take a trip down memory lane by revisiting some early footage:

A few small sound bytes

• Mexican soldiers have freed one hostage and arrested four men responsible for a slew of kidnappings in Baja California under the authority of drug warlord El Teo.
• Israeli soldiers are alleged to have abducted two Palestinians in Nablus in the West Bank during a raid.
• Three bodies of hostages murdered in Yemen have been identified, but the hunt remains for the remaining six missing persons, who are feared dead. Thousands marched in protest to the kidnappings, stating that Islam rejects aggression and crime.
• Are you afraid of being taken hostage while travelling or working in dangerous areas? Have no fear! QBE European Operations has launched a new and improved kidnap & ransom (that’s K&R in the industry parlance) insurance product.

Yemeni tragedy

Nine foreigners, including three children, were abducted in Yemen over the weekend and now reports from the Arabian Peninsula suggest that at least seven of them have been killed. No one has yet claimed responsibility for seizing and murdering the captives – who were seized while picnicking in the northwest of the country – though the government claims a Shiite militant group are culpable. While warring tribes often take foreign hostages in the region, negotiations usually lead to their release without harm.

NGO profile: Fundación País Libre

La Fundación País Libre is a Colombian non-governmental organisation that assists victims (both direct and indirect) of kidnapping and disappearance. The foundation has five main areas of work: investigation and development; attention to victims; awareness raising; political action; and mobilisation. Since 1992, the organisation has assisted more than 5,000 kidnapping victims and their family members and been on the forefront of speaking out against the crime of hostage-taking.

The foundation’s website provides a wealth of information – from statistics and names of persons still in captivity, ways you can send messages to hostages, and links to relevant news and literature.

Check out their introductory video (sólo en español):

Finally free

After weeks of back and forth pledges from his captors, British hostage Matthew Maguire has finally been freed by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). In an e-mail announcement, MEND claimed Maguire had been handed over to Nigerian officials in Port Harcourt following ten months in captivity. Maguire was captured with two dozen others when their oil supply vessel was hijacked in September; the others were freed months earlier.