July 04: Alan Johnston, a BBC Gaza Correspondent was freed today early in the morning after a long imprisonment because of very high profile campaign run across the world from his Palestinian captive. He was looking weak and fatigue but happy. The symbol of relief can be seen easily on his face. He was surrounded with some persons having arms during his freedom. He was handed over to Hamas officers.
After a long duration and very high profile campaigning efforts resulted into the releasing of this alone western journalist who was reporting in Gaza for BBC World since last three years. After getting his freedom, Alan addressed a press conference with former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Hania. “I am so glad to be free. It's great to be able to talk to people like you. I've dreamt, literally dreamt, many times of being free again and I would always wake up in that room. Now I would like to meet my family in Scotland, my home”, said Johnston.
After happy ending of the longest ever captivity of a journalist in Gaza, BBC Director General Mark Thompson appreciated Johnston, “The Middle East conflict and the people on the ground, something that gives his reporting an edge”.
Alan’s parents are also happy for their son’s release. "It's a wonderful morning ... We're absolutely overjoyed," said Graham Johnston, the father of Alan in Scotland. "It's been 114 days of a living nightmare.” added Graham while his mother thanked to god for his son’s relief. "I never lost hope," a smiling Margaret Johnston, the mother of Alan told to the journalists.
About asking the custodial life, Alan frown, “The stresses are absolutely huge. There were times when I was really- really worried I would not survive it. The first month, I was in a place where I could see the sun, but for the last three months I was in a room where the shutters were always drawn ... so ... I couldn't see the sun at all. The very last place, the last two days, I could see it again.”
Though the radio and newspaper facilities were available for him, so that he could able to know what the efforts are going on in the world for freeing him. UNO Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon and British prime minister, Tony Blair appealed to the captive to release him. Some processions were also held across the world in this campaign.
Alan Johnston was kidnapped on March 12 this year by a small “jihadi group” named ‘Army of Islam’ while he was returning to home. A video tape was also released by the captive group, in which he was seen wearing a suicidal belt.
Forty years old Johnston joined BBC in 1991 in which he spent eight of the past 16 years as a correspondent, including periods in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. He was working as a correspondent since last three years and also was leaving in this region, said BBC.
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