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| Jill Carroll's statements on ABC made under duress |
| 2006-03-31 |
| BAGHDAD, Iraq - Jill Carroll's kidnappers reportedly warned her before her release that she might be killed if she cooperated with the Americans or went to the Green Zone, saying it was infiltrated by insurgents. The freelance writer for The Christian Science Monitor, who was freed by her captors Thursday and dropped off at a branch office of the Iraqi Islamic Party, was later escorted to the Green Zone by the U.S. military, the newspaper said Friday. At first, she was reluctant to go, but a Monitor writer in Baghdad, Scott Peterson, convinced her it was safe, the newspaper said. The Monitor quoted her family as saying that her kidnappers had warned her against talking to the Americans or going to the Green Zone. They told her it was "infiltrated by the mujahedeen," the newspaper said. Her captors, calling themselves the Revenge Brigades, had demanded the release of all female detainees in Iraq by Feb. 26 and said Carroll would be killed otherwise. In a video purportedly from her kidnappers that was posted on the Internet, her abductors said Carroll was released because "the American government met some of our demands by releasing some of our women from prison." The video was found on an Islamic Web site where such material has appeared before. But U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Thursday there was no connection between the recent release of several female Iraqi detainees and Carroll's freedom. "No U.S. person entered into any arrangements with anyone. By U.S. person I mean the United States mission," he said. "What we did before had no connection with Jill Carroll," Khalilzad said. "We still have a few female detainees — four — and that's all I can say on that." The Monitor's editor, Richard Bergenheim, also said no money had been exchanged for Carroll's release. "We simply know she was dropped off at the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters," he said. Carroll, who was kidnapped Jan. 7 in Baghdad, said Thursday she was not harmed by her captors and added that she did not know why she was released. Also on the Internet video, Carroll is shown answering questions, presumably from her captors, and saying that Iraqi insurgents were "only trying to defend their country ... to stop an illegal and dangerous and deadly occupation." "So I think people need to understand in America how difficult life is here for the normal, average Iraqis ... how terrifying it is for most people to live here every day because of the occupation," she said on the video. Bergenheim said Friday that Carroll's parents, who spoke to her about the video, told him it was "conducted under duress." "What emerged was that they actually started filming this tape the night before and then there was a power outage. Jill had been told the questions, asked to translate them from Arabic into English," he told ABC's "Good Morning America." "When you're making a video and having to recite certain things with three men with machine guns standing over you, you're probably going to say exactly what you're told to say," Bergenheim added. The U.S. Embassy spokeswoman in Baghdad declined to comment on the video, saying all queries regarding Carroll were being handled by her family and the Monitor. Iraq's Interior Ministry said it had no information regarding Carroll's departure plans, which an Iraqi official said were being handled by the Americans. Bergenheim said the 28-year-old Carroll is "emotionally fragile" after 82 days in captivity and will begin her journey home as soon as possible. "Yesterday was way too soon. I think they're investigating whether she could leave today," he told NBC's "Today" show. "But her family wants to make sure that she's strong enough, emotionally and otherwise, to take this step." |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #3 I am giving her a break - most didn't mean any of that snide. She has been badly hurt (emotionallly, mentally, spiritually) and this is going to take some healing. First words can actually tell a lot - but mostly only hint a the reality she went through. I not concerned about the content of her video, circumstances for heaven's sake, but the tone and demeanor reveal a lot of how hard this captivity was for her. It's her very first insistence statements to the effect the they didn't hit her, they never even hit her - so urgent was she to communicate this. So insistent probably obeying a command. Or worse, the too-quick denial and then insistence of "nothing happened". Jill has been badly hurt. I hope she will recover. |
| Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 2006-03-31 19:48 |
| #2 her first statements are to not be taken at face value - give her a break. She's obviously been abused, if not physically, then emotionally and mentally, by her detention |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-03-31 19:22 |
| #1 She's much more than "emotionally fragile", she seems in very serious psychological trouble. This is going to take a few years of psychotherapy. I fear she may have been raped as well. The terror of her captors and what they might do to her (again?) is most evident. |
| Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 2006-03-31 18:49 |