Italian reporter, released after kidnapping in Syria, says 'no longer the secular revolution'

September 09, 2013

An Italian reporter who was kidnapped by Syrian rebels in April has returned home after his release, saying: “I was trying to tell the story of the Syrian revolution, but it may be that this revolution has betrayed me.”

Domenico Quirico, who was handed over by rebels to criminals who negotiated his release, said that civil war in Syria is “no longer the secular revolution” that he had originally perceived.

Kidnappings have become increasingly frequent in Syria, as both rebels and ordinary criminals seek to extract ransoms and gain negotiating leverage. The AsiaNews service notes that religious leaders have been regular targets. Among the hostages still believed to be under rebel control are two Orthodox bishops who were seized on April 22, an Armenian Catholic priest and a Greek Orthodox priest abducted in February, and the Italian Jesuit Father Paolo Dall’Oglio, who has been missing since the end of July.

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Italian journalist Domenico Quirico freed: Betrayed by the Syrian revolution (AsiaNews)