This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/12/journalist-lindsey-snell-freed-turkey-isis
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| American journalist detained in Turkey for two months is freed | American journalist detained in Turkey for two months is freed |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| An American journalist who has been detained in Turkey for the past two months after claiming she had been kidnapped by militants in Syria has been freed and is returning to the US. | An American journalist who has been detained in Turkey for the past two months after claiming she had been kidnapped by militants in Syria has been freed and is returning to the US. |
| Lindsey Snell was arrested in Turkey on 6 August for “violating a military zone” after she crossed back into the country from Syria, where she had been filming civilians affected by airstrikes in the countryside near rebel-held Aleppo and Idlib. | Lindsey Snell was arrested in Turkey on 6 August for “violating a military zone” after she crossed back into the country from Syria, where she had been filming civilians affected by airstrikes in the countryside near rebel-held Aleppo and Idlib. |
| The US government has been reluctant to comment on the details of Snell’s case. But before she was detained in Turkey in August, Snell wrote on a Facebook post that during her time in Syria, she had been kidnapped by militants affiliated with the faction then known as the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria. | The US government has been reluctant to comment on the details of Snell’s case. But before she was detained in Turkey in August, Snell wrote on a Facebook post that during her time in Syria, she had been kidnapped by militants affiliated with the faction then known as the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria. |
| She said she managed to escape with the help of Syrian contacts, and then made it back to the border with Turkey, where she was arrested. | She said she managed to escape with the help of Syrian contacts, and then made it back to the border with Turkey, where she was arrested. |
| Al-Nusra has since rebranded itself as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (the Front for the Conquest of the Levant), and claims it has ended its links with al-Qaida. | Al-Nusra has since rebranded itself as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (the Front for the Conquest of the Levant), and claims it has ended its links with al-Qaida. |
| Snell, a freelance foreign correspondent, was awarded an Edward R Murrow award this year for a video dispatch about Aleppo, and has reported for Vocativ and Vice. | Snell, a freelance foreign correspondent, was awarded an Edward R Murrow award this year for a video dispatch about Aleppo, and has reported for Vocativ and Vice. |
| Originally from Daytona, Florida, she was based in Istanbul, but left Turkey for Syria just before the failed coup attempt on 15 July. After her reported kidnapping, she returned to Turkey amid a post-coup crackdown during which authorities have thrown hundreds of Turkish journalists in jail. | Originally from Daytona, Florida, she was based in Istanbul, but left Turkey for Syria just before the failed coup attempt on 15 July. After her reported kidnapping, she returned to Turkey amid a post-coup crackdown during which authorities have thrown hundreds of Turkish journalists in jail. |
| “We welcome the release of Lindsey Snell,” said Nina Ognianova, the Europe and Central Asia program coordinator for the Committee to Project Journalist. “She shouldn’t have been held in the first place.” | “We welcome the release of Lindsey Snell,” said Nina Ognianova, the Europe and Central Asia program coordinator for the Committee to Project Journalist. “She shouldn’t have been held in the first place.” |
| Speaking to the Guardian on her flight to New York, Snell said her main concern now was with her husband, Suliman Wardak. | Speaking to the Guardian on her flight to New York, Snell said her main concern now was with her husband, Suliman Wardak. |
| Wardak, who is is from Afghanistan, traveled to Istanbul after Snell’s arrest to assist with her case, and was himself detained on 22 August. He has alleged that Turkish authorities accused him of being involved in the coup, and preventing him from leaving the country. | |
| “They still have my husband. I don’t feel free,” she said on Wednesday. | “They still have my husband. I don’t feel free,” she said on Wednesday. |
| Turkish news reports portrayed Snell as a CIA spy, and Snell said she was frustrated that the US state department had not issued a statement saying she was a journalist. | Turkish news reports portrayed Snell as a CIA spy, and Snell said she was frustrated that the US state department had not issued a statement saying she was a journalist. |
| “They know I’m a journalist. They knew I was working in this capacity in Syria. There was no reason to be vague or tight-lipped especially given the Turkish accusations against me,” she said. | “They know I’m a journalist. They knew I was working in this capacity in Syria. There was no reason to be vague or tight-lipped especially given the Turkish accusations against me,” she said. |
| At time of of publication, a state department spokesperson said they were unable to comment to the Guardian. | At time of of publication, a state department spokesperson said they were unable to comment to the Guardian. |
| During her detention in Turkey, Snell said she was held with terrorism suspects, including alleged Isis members. | During her detention in Turkey, Snell said she was held with terrorism suspects, including alleged Isis members. |
| “It was bleak,” she said. “The worst part was being isolated. For more than two months, I couldn’t talk to my husband or anyone else.” | “It was bleak,” she said. “The worst part was being isolated. For more than two months, I couldn’t talk to my husband or anyone else.” |
| According to the CPJ, more than a hundred journalists have been arrested in Turkey in the post-coup crackdown, with many still in jail. | According to the CPJ, more than a hundred journalists have been arrested in Turkey in the post-coup crackdown, with many still in jail. |
| “While Lindsey’s release is a relief and we welcome come it, scores of journalists in Turkey are still jailed. We continue to call on Turkish authorities to free all the journalists behind bars in the country for doing their job,” Ognianova said. | “While Lindsey’s release is a relief and we welcome come it, scores of journalists in Turkey are still jailed. We continue to call on Turkish authorities to free all the journalists behind bars in the country for doing their job,” Ognianova said. |