Imtiaz Sooliman – SA’s captive Shiraaz Mohamed freed from Syria
AI: Summary ©
The news host discusses the deception of Turkey's assurance of security and the difficulty of finding the photographer, who may have had his freedom. The Turkish government's involvement is also discussed, along with the process of bringing the photographer back home. The conversation also touches on the deception of Turkey's assurance of security and the "monster money" business, where businesses are quickly becoming profitable. The importance of capturing a successful return home and successful negotiations with Turkish authorities is emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
Has been freed. He's a South African photographer who is
kidnapped in 2017 in Syria. Let's now go to Dr MTR suriman of the
gift of the givers, thanks so much for your time on sabc news this
morning. Take us through what you know at the moment. You
we seem to have lost Dr Imtiaz suriman off the gift of the givers
that breaking news coming in reports that photographer who was
kidnapped around three years ago in Syria may have had his freedom.
Dr Imtiaz Suleiman and the gift of the givers have been, of course,
working closely to try and negotiate his release. The
photographer was sent there as part of the gift of the givers,
and we know that there has been about three years of negotiations
of false leads and videos of that photographer, Shiraz Muhammad
pleading for his freedom. He apparently sent his ex wife a
message saying that the South African government and the gift of
the givers were trying to negotiate his release. It's been
about three years before anything has happened. Doctor MTS Suleiman,
of gift of the givers joins us on the line. Thanks so much for your
time on sabc news this morning. Doctor Suleiman, talk to us about
what you know about the possible release of this photographer, what
is not so much about religious Good morning. You know, we got a
message from someone who called us yesterday afternoon to say that
Shiraz is free, that Shiraz escaped, actually, in their words,
escape and that went to a certain area. I give too many details, but
he will see the details are very sketchy, but they found him and
that, you know, they want to make sure. And we so we wanted to make
sure, you because Shiraz. So we said, Are you sure it does? They
said, yes. So we said, Can you send us a picture? They send us a
picture. And then they said, look. We said, thank you very much. We
need the picture to pass on to his family, you know, although, and
they told him we're not involved in the script anymore, but there's
a courtesy. We will inform the family. They then said, okay, and
then they got back to us. A few hours later. They said within
themselves, they took a decision that, because we not involved in
the case and they don't know anyone else, they handed it over
to the Turkish intelligence. And then they send out a second
picture in the night, say to Surat, before they handed him over
to Turkish intelligence. Is now safe for them, and now let the
government follow the processes to bring Shiraz back home. We invite
send a message to minister, Minister nalodipano Last night,
the consular services and to other people in deco they all
acknowledge the messages, and I told them, now it's their
responsibility to speak to the Turkish Government to get Shiraz
back home. And of course, I informed his family too and send
the pictures to them. That's Doctor Suleiman, do we have an
indication of when those Turkish authorities and the South African
government will make sure that he is home? Well, that ninth
relationship between the two governments, the South African
government, has to contact the Turkish government, or vice versa,
and between the two of them, the processes generally don't take too
long, you know, it just depends how fast the two governments work.
So the Turkish have been beside the hostage situation they've had
the other people have been trapped in Syria. They've been making
moves to move as many people following us after the country, as
fast as possible, especially those who have been trapped in other
areas in Syria. So we know they're quite keen to move everybody very,
very quickly. I don't think it should be a long process. It is
given how fast our government and then talk to each other, they know
about it, and we informed our government. Hopefully it will
happen quite fast. Doctor Suleman, I know that what you're telling us
now is, is you a gift of the givers not being involved in
securing that freedom, but you have been involved since around
2017 in trying to secure his release. Could just give us some
insight into the difficulty and the sensitivity around that
process.
The problem is that, you know, at that point, we didn't know who
took him, because he was visiting our hospital. He went to take he
was a photo journalist. He wanted to take pictures, and carried,
carry the story of Syria, and they couldn't understand who were taken
in an area that was controlled by particular group. And over the
period of time, we were trying to trace him, you know. And and the
situation in hostage cases, especially in the war zone,
everybody claims they have him. But when they when that claim
comes a request for money, $10,000 to inform you, $20,000 we can get
information. So there's a lot of people take chances, and you have
to filter out what the child, who the chances are, and where the
information is genuine, and that's a complicated process. And also
you have to make sure that once you make contact with the captors,
or you keep the role of the negotiation line open to get to
some kind of finality, because there was no request, there was no
demand, nothing was told was and that process took place up to
September last year. And eventually, September last year,
somebody called us and said, Look, I can have to find Shiraz. So we
told him, the same thing. We told everybody else, like we there's
100 people, everybody can find Shiraz. Everybody knows Shiraz.
Everybody wants money. And then he died. Nothing happened. And then
around December.
Or January, January, sometime early this year, A call came to
say, look, I can help you kiss me. So we sent him a list of a couple
of questions, you know, no video, just a couple of questions, and
said, it's this, the person who answers this destiny, Shiraz only
he will know the answers to that. And within a few minutes, the
replies came back, and we check we should answer me. They said it's
100% you can only we should also give that answer a little later on
April, I think it was they gave us a proof of live video, and the
negotiations were carrying on. And at that at one stage, like we
wanted $3 million it was first $5 million came down to $4 million
came down to $3 million we were coming down to $1 million and as
we were making progress, the family then decided they wanted to
get somebody else to get involved in Shiraz case. And we said, look,
every family has a right to choose whoever they want. And we withdrew
from the case. And since then, we haven't been involved. And now
suddenly we get this call, you know, last night, because
everybody in Syria knows, like you know that we were involved in the
case, but not many people knew that we had withdrawn in June. Do
we have insight into why these type of kidnappings happen?
Because it's not the first time that a South African national has
been kidnapped and then a ransom demanded in that region. Well, the
unique thing about this is that he's a Muslim guy. Because that's
unique thing a Muslim guy being taken in a Muslim country. That's
not normal. You know, that doesn't happen normally. It's normally. In
the old days, it was all like Europeans or Americans, the people
of, you know, European decent Americans, they were taken as
hostage. But in recent years, attacking has changed, because
it's no more an ideology or a political issue or some kind of
statement to make, in terms of on a political statement, it's not,
it's a straightforward money business. People have realized
they captured somebody. It doesn't matter who it is, whether he has
some strong political leaning, whether he's a ambassador or he's,
you know, some kind of great leader. He doesn't just tell them
that anymore. They catch somebody. It has become a money making
business. And in a situation like Syria, you can understand there is
no economy. The country is in total ruins. Nobody's working. The
fastest way to make money is to capture a quarter. And you're not
the only one. I mean, there's been lots of people captured, and now
the patterns have even changed. The experience are capturing
Syrians where they know, okay, this Syrians are about their
family. Quick way to make money. So it has become a big money
business. But they justified and Shiraz escapes, they said many
times, nor is an American spine, is an Israeli spy, is a British
spy. But there's no proof. So they keep on justifying themselves to
make themselves relevant, and they say some kind of a spy. And of
course, they couldn't put this any proof, and the end is all about
making money. And took Shiraz was good fortune. You know, luckily,
he managed to escape from there. Because, I mean, nobody was going
to come up with $3 million they eventually came down to $1 million
and nobody was was going to be able to afford the kind of money,
and you would have been there for a long time. Dr, MTR. Suriman,
thanks so much for the update and information that you've given us
speaking about the escape of Shiraz Mohammed in Syria, he is
apparently now safe with Turkish authorities and the second
government will negotiate for his safe return home.