Three journalists who were captured and detained by Qaddafi loyalists in early April – James Foley, Clare Morgana Gillis and Manu Brabo – were released yesterday. The fate of a fourth journalist who was with them, 41-year-old South African photojournalist Anton Hammerl, had been unclear for the past six weeks.
Hammerl was shot on April 5 outside of the Libyan town of Brega after the group came under fire from Qaddafi troops in armoured vehicles. GlobalPost spoke with Foley and Gillis after their release in Tunisia:
All four journalists immediately dropped to the ground, diving to the side of the road. But the Libyan soldiers, who were coming over the hill, continued to fire, Foley said. Hammerl, who was closest to the fighting, cried out for help. Foley called out, “Are you OK?”
“No,” was Hammerl’s only reply. After the third barrage of fire, Hammerl’s cries ended.
Hammerl’s family released a statement last night that says, in part:
From the moment Anton disappeared in Libya we have lived in hope as the Libyan officials assured us that they had Anton.
It is intolerably cruel that Gaddafi loyalists have known Anton’s fate all along and chose to cover it up.
Image via AP
Republished from Gawker