Kidnapped journalists speaks out about ordeal

Sunday, December 01, 2013

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NIGEL Brennan, the Australian photojournalist held hostage in Somalia for 462 days, seems more angry at the federal government that treated his family poorly than the militiamen who captured him.

Speaking in Albany, where he arrived last week as a crew member of a predominantly-Australian team in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, Brennan spoke of the psychological scars that remain four years after his release.

Brennan travelled to war-torn Somalia in 2008 with ambitious Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout as they sought to fast-track their reputations and shine a light on people suffering in the Red Zones few reporters visited.

It turned out to be a grave mistake, with even the bodyguards they hired unwilling to go there and the pair left vulnerable to ambush.

After they were captured, they became Muslims - partly to ingratiate themselves with their captors, but also to try to understand their thinking.

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