The kidnapping of Alan Johnston, a British journalist for the BBC, by the Army of Islam in Gaza City took place on 12 March 2007, following which Johnston was held in captivity for 114 days.'Alan Johnston Speaks To Sky News' (Video)
His captivity led to many protests in the Palestinian territories, as well as the British government meeting a Hamas member for the first time. On 15 April, unconfirmed reports claiming that he had been murdered surfaced, later declared by Palestinian intelligence sources to be false. A tape claiming to be from Johnston's kidnappers surfaced on 8 May, leading to renewed hope that he would soon be released, and three weeks later a Hamas spokesperson spoke of his hope that Johnston would be freed quickly. Johnston then appeared in a video released online by his alleged kidnappers on 1 June.
Hopes were raised for his release in mid-June after Hamas took full control of Gaza and set a deadline for his release, but on 24 June a video of him wearing what he said was an explosive belt was released along with a warning that if attempts were made to rescue him by force it would be detonated. However, on 4 July, Johnston was freed, and left Gaza for Jerusalem.
Kidnapping and captivity On 12 March 2007, Johnston's car was found abandoned on a street, shortly after he left his office to drive home. He had entered Gaza from Israel earlier in the day, where he had been for a dental appointment. A business card belonging to Johnston was found at the scene, identifying him as having been in the car, at the time of his kidnapping. The BBC was alerted to his disappearance when he did not make an arranged telephone call.
According to Palestinian police, four armed men were spotted near Johnston's car, and Johnston is believed to have been abducted at gunpoint. A state of emergency was declared with checkpoints set up to find Johnston, who was in the final weeks of his posting to Gaza, where he had been stationed for three years.
There were some reports that negotiations had begun to try to secure Johnston's release, although the BBC strenuously emphasised that it could not independently verify reports that Johnston had been kidnapped. A week after his disappearance, the BBC admitted that it seemed certain now that he had been kidnapped.
On 21 March, Israeli sources reported that Johnston may have been taken by the same groups that captured Gilad Shalit in June 2006. However, this was strongly denied by both the Popular Resistance Committees.
26 March marked the fact that his kidnapping was now the longest-ever of a foreigner in Gaza since abductions began happening in the Gaza Strip, which led to renewed calls for his release.
In the midst of his third week in captivity, news agencies began reporting on speculation that Johnston had been kidnapped by a powerful Gaza family with criminal connections, and which was willing to switch support to the other faction in the Palestinian Territories should one displease them. It then emerged that the family might be holding Johnston as a bargaining chip who would be released in return for ten Hamas gunmen who killed members of the family.
On the day marking the fourth week of his disappearance, a London-based Arab newspaper, Al-Hayat, reported that Gaza authorities were looking into the possibility that Johnston might have staged his own disappearance after hearing that he was soon to be fired. At first, the BBC refused to comment on the report, before issuing a statement, calling on press not to run the article in question "given that there is absolutely no truth to it", adding that "there is no truth in any suggestion that Alan Johnston may have staged his own kidnap, nor that the BBC was about to dismiss him."
Early on 9 May local time, the BBC reported that al-Jazeera in Gaza had received a tape which was purported to be from Johnston's kidnappers. It was sent to the station by a group calling itself the Army of Islam, despite earlier claims by the group that it had not committed the kidnapping. The tape contained still photos, including one of Johnston's BBC card, and demanded "that Britain free our prisoners, particularly Sheikh Abu Qatada, the Palestinian." The BBC said it was investigating the tape and "welcome any sign that Alan may be alive", adding its hope that the tape release meant that Johnston would soon be released.
First month The Palestinian National Authority condemned the kidnapping, and vowed to "bring the criminals to justice", calling the abduction "despicable". The Foreign Press Association issued an appeal for Johnston's release, while both Hamas and Fatah also called for Johnston to be freed. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also voiced their concern at the apparent abduction, blaming it on the "impunity" that no-one involved with prior kidnappings had been convicted that "[encouraged]" his kidnappers to act.
On 15 March, the BBC's Middle East bureau chief Simon Wilson issued a statement in Gaza thanking Ismail Haniyeh, Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian government for trying to help resolve the situation. He also issued a new plea for information on Johnston's whereabouts. In London, the Muslim Council of Britain also put forward an appeal for the release of Johnston, calling on Abbas and Haniyeh to do their utmost to secure Johnston's freedom, while over 20 Palestinian journalists held a rally on 17 March outside parliament in Gaza in support of Johnston. The rally was also attended by Information Minister Mustafa Barghouti and Wilson. Barghouti said: "We are opposed to the kidnapping of foreign journalists who serve the Palestinian cause."
A week after Johnston went missing, his father made a televised appeal for his release. Speaking from Argyll, Graham Johnston called on his son's abductors to "let my son go, now, today". Wilson said that the fact that there had been no information on Johnston for over a week had been "disappointing", adding that efforts made to find Johnston would have to be redoubled. He also noted that the BBC's only request was to have "some firm information" on Johnston. Deputy Director General of the BBC Mark Byford also called for people with influence to secure Johnston's release, while BBC staff in London held a rally in support of Johnston.
RSF invited Arabic-language news media and bloggers to post banners on their websites that called for Johnston to be freed. RSF also noted that the "silence" surrounding Johnston's abduction was "particularly worrying".
The Palestinian Journalists Union in Gaza observed a 24-hour strike on 20 March to protest against Johnston's abduction, and threatened to "escalate" its protests until Johnston was released. Foreign and local journalists in Ramallah, West Bank, had held a sit-in a day earlier, at which Barghouti again condemned the kidnapping.
The BBC said it had received "assurances" about the well-being of Johnston, but repeated that it had "no firm knowledge" of his condition. It also thanked journalists who demonstrated in a show of support both in the Middle East and back in the UK. European Union foreign policy representative Javier Solana told the BBC on 20 March that the EU was doing all it could to try to establish Johnston's whereabouts. Solana added that the EU had been involved since the day of the kidnapping. British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett told Parliament that London was also doing everything it could, and had brought the issue up with Mahmoud Abbas, saying that Abbas had given her assurances that finding Johnston was "very much" a goal of the Palestinian authorities. Journalists also protested in front of Abbas's office to demand that more be done to deal with the situation.
Protests continued on 22 March, demanding more protection of journalists and more be done to prevent violation of press freedoms. Ahmed Abdel Rahman, advisor to Abbas for the PLO, told protesting journalists in Ramallah that there were "indications of an imminent release". Twelve days into Johnston's abduction, the Bishop of Lichfield Jonathan Gledhill asked churchgoers to pray for Johnston's release, saying that people were grateful for "brave journalists" like Johnston.
More than 100 people held a rally for Johnston's release thirteen days into his captivity. Simon Wilson again urged those with influence to "work tirelessly" to obtain Johnston's freedom. On the day marking the second week since Johnston went missing, Gaza reporters held another strike in solidarity with Johnston. The beginning of Johnston's third week in captivity also led RSF to press the Arab League to issue a new appeal for Johnston's release at an upcoming summit.
In response to the RSF appeal, at the end of the two-day summit Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal condemned the kidnapping, adding that he hoped the kidnappers would soon release Johnston, saying that this was "certainly ... not something that anybody, anybody would approve of" and that Johnston was just "doing his job".
Amnesty International and Cardiff University (which Johnston attended) also both issued calls for Johnston's release. The deputy director of the university's journalism centre noted that the kidnapping "deprived Palestine of an objective reporter relaying its news to the West."
A new three-day strike was planned by journalists in the lead-up to the fourth week of Johnston's kidnapping. The strike included a ban on covering all government activities and the Palestinian Authority in general. Simultaneous demonstrations and protests were also planned for 2 April in both Gaza and Ramallah. On the day itself, over three hundred journalists held a demonstration in Gaza with their mouths tied and gagged. They then marched to the city's government area. Another such protest was held in Ramallah in front of Abbas' office.
The three-day strike meant that a meeting between United States Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Abbas was boycotted by the local media. That same day, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura added his voice to those calling for Johnston's release. He noted that the situation was "increasingly disturbing", and asked authorities to "do their utmost to obtain his release as quickly as possible".
On 4 April, the protesting journalists forced the cancellation of a rare meeting of Parliament in Gaza after the entrance to the Parliament building was blocked by the protesters. Some of the lawmakers then stood and listened to the protest. The next day, Britain's Consul-General in Jerusalem Richard Makepeace met with Prime Minister Haniyeh, breaking a ban by the European Union on contacts with Hamas. British diplomats stressed that the meeting was only to discuss Johnston's kidnapping and did not "represent a change of policy". Makepeace's office emphasised that the meeting was "strictly for humanitarian reasons", while Reuters quoted some diplomats as saying that it was generally agreed that the boycott of Hamas could be relaxed in emergencies like kidnappings.
Palestinian children took part in a demonstration on 6 April to call for Johnston's release. The children held banners and carried his picture when demonstrating in the streets. Johnston was also spoken of at Friday prayers. Fresh protests were held in Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin and Gaza City the next day by Palestinian journalists, who held banners condemning Johnston's abduction. The Palestinian Cabinet held a special meeting the next day to discuss Johnston's case, and directed that "all necessary measures" should be taken to secure Johnston's freedom.
On Easter Sunday, 8 April 2007, Archbishop of York John Sentamu included Johnston in his Easter prayers, calling him a "symbol of ensuring the freedom of the press is not violated". It was reported the same day that about one thousand British journalists would send protest emails to Abbas over the continued abduction of Johnston.