Freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan are finally free and in Kenya after being held hostage in Somalia for over one year. The duo were snatched on the outskirts of Mogadishu in August, 2008. It’s a story we have followed very closely since day one,

"I’m so happy to be free; it feels like a dream," Canadian Amanda Lindhout said. Her Australian colleague Nigel Brennan said he was still "in shock" link

We catalogued the story in the graphic above and on this post – which I’m glad to say I can finally stop editing. And I know those Frontlne bloggers who have worked in Somalia – namely Alex, David and Rob – all kept a close eye on developments and contacted their sources on the ground to see what, if anything, they could find out.

Rob Crilly gives an excellent overview of the unique risks of working in Somalia. These risks multiply exponentially if you work as a freelance. This is an issue we have covered before and no doubt will again.

It’s fantastic to hear Amanda and Nigel have been released and may their story be a lesson to anyone else thinking of heading into Somalia.

But let us not forget that Beverly Geisbrecht, another Canadian freelance journalist, who was kidnapped a year ago this month, remains held somewhere along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.

A group of six Canadian media organisations have banded together to petition the Canadian government and help raise awareness of the kidnap of freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan in Somalia over one year ago,

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is launching a campaign, joined by the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Canadian Media Guild (CMG), the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada and PEN Canada (NEPMCC), asking the federal government to do everything in its power to bring home Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and her Australian colleague Nigel Brennan. link

CAJ president Mary Agnes Welch is careful to note that this new petition is not about media attention,

“is about personal action. Media attention could jeopardise the safety of Amanda and Nigel” link

This petition follows on from an earlier petition which, according to one commenter who appears to have created the petition, has kind of lost steam.

Amanda Lindhout is not the only Canadian freelance journalist being held against her will. Beverly Giesbrecht was kidnapped in the region between Pakistan and Afghanistan in November, 2008. She is still being held.

We’ve followed this kidnap story very closely since August 23, 2008 when the duo were captured, reportedly on the outskirts of Mogadishu a they were heading to an refugee camp. You can see the timeline of events in the graphic above.

If you’d like to add this constantly updated graphic to your website, blog or social networking site please go to Frontline Club on Dipity and grab the “embed widget” and follow the instructions for embedding into your site. Meanwhile here are the contents of the petition letter,

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
Langevin Block
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A2

Dear Prime Minister,

We, the friends, supporters and colleagues of Amanda Lindhout, join with the undersigned organisations to ask the Canadian government to make it a top priority to work for the immediate and unconditional release of Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and her Australian colleague Nigel Brennan.

The two journalists have been held in captivity in Somalia for over a year. We urge you to commit full governmental support and resources to work with Amanda’s and Nigel’s families to bring them home. A year is too long – efforts must be redoubled.

Please do everything in your power to bring Amanda home to Canada.

Yours sincerely,

Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ)
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE)
Canadian Media Guild (CMG)
National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)
PEN Canada link

"It is true that Lindhout and Brennan are not in Mogadishu," said [Ambroise Pierre, head of the Africa desk for Reporters Without Borders] "They were not moved several times; they were moved once. Exactly where, we cannot say."

"They moved from the city for security reasons," said [Dahir Abdulle Alasow, who runs a Somali news website and the Associated Somali Journalists], in an e-mail from Belgium. "The kidnapper’s chief . . . told one of my colleagues that the Canadian government used what he called GPS and, after the air attack of Saleh Nabhan, they decided to move." link

This is the first news of the kidnapped duo that I have come across for at least two months.

One year ago today, freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan were kidnapped on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The duo are reportedly being held in poor conditions, are in bad health and there is no indication that a release date is any closer one year on. Their Somali colleagues were released in January, 2009. The parents of the two journalists have released a joint statement to mark the one year anniversary,

"Together, the two families continue to work tirelessly to secure Nigel’s and Amanda’s safe release. With little outside support, the families, who have been united as one throughout this horrendous ordeal, continue to do everything and anything to gain the earliest possible release for their loved ones Amanda and Nigel. Our thoughts and all our love are with Amanda and Nigel, today, just as they have been for the past 365 days, and just as they will be until they are safely home with us.

In issuing this brief joint statement the families hope that the media will respect their wishes to be left alone during this particularly emotional time.” link

We continue to update the timeline as and when reports of the kidnapping are published and we feed these reports into the Dipity interactive timeline you can see above. Dipity have very kindly agreed to feature the timeline on their homepage to mark the anniversary.

Amanda Lindhout, the Canadian journalist kidnapped in Somalia in August 2008, has reportedly made a plea over the telephone to Omni TV. The heart wrenching plea was broadcast earlier today in Ontario. Lindhout complains of stomach problems, dentistry issues and is worried she may die of illness or be killed by her captives. The kidnappers are thought to be demanding a ransom of between $1 – $1.5 million.

The mother of fellow kidnap victim, Australian freelance photographer Nigel Brennan, recently spoke out in frustration with the lack of progress in the kidnapping case. The duo will mark a full year in captivity on August 23.

The mother of Nigel Brennan, the freelance photojournalist who was kidnapped in Somalia in August 2008, has met with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. According to Sky News Heather Brennan made an unexpected approach to Rudd when she approached the PM as he was visiting Queensland today. She spoke with him for twenty minutes,

"These are difficult, sensitive and complex negotiations… (said Rudd) …If I was to look at the consular cases upon which I have spent the most time since I’ve been prime minister, it is this one,’ he said.  ‘It is one which the government takes seriously, but I do not underestimate the degree of difficulty involved in this. It is very hard." link

Meanwhile friends of Nigel Brennan are seriously worried about his health following reports in May and a recent telephone conversation with the kidnap victim,

Family friend Rebecca Hutchins urged the media to give attention to the case.  ‘He is really very, very unwell,’ Ms Hutchins said.  ‘I think mentally he would be in a very dark place and emotionally. Physically that is where the problem is at the moment. He is not well.’  The family spoke to Mr Brennan as recently as Wednesday. link

Please consider taking two minutes to sign the petition to help both Nigel Brennan and Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout who was kidnapped along with Nigel in August, 2008. And link to the petition if you have a blog, twitter account, website or email account.

Image taken from ABC Local News website.

Freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan remain hostages in Somalia almost one year since they were nabbed on the outskirts of Mogadishu in August, 2008. Despite reports of them both being in a very bad health and of Lindhout reportedly being pregnant, it appears the Australian and Canadian governments refuse to cough up the, by now, pretty pathetic ransom amount of $100,000.

Three days ago I posted a link to an online petition on the @frontlineblog twitter account to help put pressure on the two governments to do something. Now, I’m not the biggest believer in online petitions – in fact I’m a complete cynic – but with few other options left to pressure the authorities into paying – and it is only by paying that they will be released – it’s worth pushing the petition if it can reach its goal of 5,000 signatures.

Unfortunately, if the statistics above are anything to go by, plenty of people have clicked through to the petition link, yet few have bothered to sign it. Less than 50 additional signatures have been added since I posted the link, yet nearly 3,000 people clicked the link. This is a gentle nudge to sign. You just never know, 5,000+ signatures might just help.

UPDATE: Just to clarify, opinions about paying kidnappers in this case are my own, not those of the Frontline Club. Money, and little else, talks in Somalia… In my opinion.

Amanda Lindhout, the Canadian freelance journalist kidnapped in Somalia along with fellow freelace Nigel Brennan, has reportedly telephoned the CTV national newsroom in Canada. In what appears to be an almost identical statement to the one telephoned through to the AFP last month, the 27 year old says she is being held in a windowless room and she’s been sick for months,

Transcript of the telephone statement made to CTV News from someone purporting to be Amanda Lindhout on Wednesday, June 10, 2009: 

"Um. Yeah. I have a statement I can read and that’s all I can say. So…

My name is Amanda Lindhout. I’m a Canadian citizen and I’ve been held hostage by gunmen in Somalia for nearly 10 months. I’m in a desperate situation. I’m being kept in a dark, windowless room in chains without any clean drinking water and little food or no food. I’ve been very sick for months without any medicine.

I’m begging my government and fellow Canadian citizens to assist my family in paying my ransom. The Canadian government must have some duty to help its citizen in such a crisis, and my fellow citizens to assist me by putting pressure on my government.

I love my country and I want to live to see it again. Without food or medicine, I will die here and I’m in need of immediate aid. I implore my family whom I love more than anything to continue searching for money for my release. Without it, I will die here.

I will also tell them that they must deal directly with these people, if my life depends on it. My life is worth more than any money spent. To fellow journalists in Canada, please help bring attention to my situation and contribute in anyway possible, in order that I may return home to Canada. That’s all I can say." link

"I have been sick for months. Unless my government, the people of Canada, all my family and friends can get one million dollars, I will die here, OK that is certain," Lindhout said, sounding very distressed…

"The situation here is very dire and very serious. I?ve been a hostage for nine months, the conditions are very bad, I don?t drink clean water, I am fed at most once a day," Lindhout said.

"I’m being kept… in a dark windowless room, completely alone," she added.

"I love my country and I want to return so I beg my government to come to my aid. Likewise, I ask all my fellow Canadian citizens and my family to contribute in any way possible in order to help me finally be released from Somalia and be able to return home," said Lindhout. link

AFP says the phone call was made through an intermediary after weeks of negotiation. Nigel Brennan said he has been held in shackles for the past four months,

"I’ve been shackled for the last four months… My health is extremely poor and deteriorating rapidly due to extreme fever," he said.

"I implore that my government help me as a citizen of Australia (inaudible)… I ask for the help of my family in every way possible so that the ransom can be paid for my release," Brennan said.

"I love my country very much, I love my family, my girlfriend," he added. link

This is the first reported communication with the duo since they were kidnapped near Mogadishu in August, 2008.

The savage fighting in and around Mogadishu means that negotiations to free Lindhout and Australian Nigel Brennan are in the words of a senior spokesman “completely stopped and broken”.

Daud Abdi Daud says he recently confirmed both Lindhout and Brennan are alive but the conditions of their captivity have worsened, partially because of violence beyond their abductors’ control.

They are said to be shuffled from safe house to safe house in Mogadishu but fighting has moved into the part of the city where it’s believed they are being held. link

UPDATE: Ambroise Pierre, Africa desk chief for Reporters Without Borders, confirms negotiations have stopped. The Canadian foreign office is tight lipped,

“The kidnappers have stopped talking,” said Pierre. “I can confirm that.”

Pierre said it’s believed to be the first time talks between the kidnappers and the Canadian and Australian governments have stopped. He said he can only guess why the captors have decided to stop talking.

“I assume that’s to put pressure on the Canadian government,” he said. “I know they are still alive and in good condition.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs is saying little about the case.

“We are pursuing all appropriate channels to seek further information about Ms. Lindhout’s welfare, and to assist the family in securing her safe release as well as that of Mr. Brennan,” said department spokesman Daniel Barbarie.

“We will not comment or release any information which may compromise these efforts and jeopardize the safety of a Canadian or other citizen.” link