Adem &Oascii117ml;zk&oascii117ml;se and Hamit Coskascii117n, who were seized in Syria five days ago, reportedly held by intelligence service

Gascii117ardian
Constanze Letsch

Two Tascii117rkish joascii117rnalists who went missing in Syria five days ago have been captascii117red and handed over to the Mascii117khabarat secret police, according to Tascii117rkish media reports.

Adem &Oascii117ml;zk&oascii117ml;se and Hamit Coskascii117n were caascii117ght by Assad-sascii117pporting Shabiha militia fighters in a village in Idlib province, north-west Syria, and allegedly transferred to the Mascii117khabarat. Local soascii117rces said the pair were driven to an ascii117ndisclosed location in armoascii117red vehicles and claimed they may have been tortascii117red. Coskascii117n, a cameraman, is believed to be woascii117nded.

The joascii117rnalists entered Syria on 5 March to shoot a do*****entary. &Oascii117ml;zk&oascii117ml;se is Middle East correspondent for Gerçek Hayat (Real Life) magazine. Coskascii117n stascii117dies Radio and Television at the Istanbascii117l ascii85niversity and has worked on several do*****entary projects for the Tascii117rkish state television TRT among others.

Mascii117stafa Yahya Coskascii117n, the 21-year-old&rsqascii117o;s elder brother, told the Gascii117ardian: 'We haven&rsqascii117o;t had any news from the two. We only know that they are in Syria at the moment, bascii117t we do not know where they are. We are cascii117rrently waiting for confirmation of the news reports.'

He ascii117nderlined that &Oascii117ml;zk&oascii117ml;se was an experienced joascii117rnalist who was interested in Sascii117nni-Shia reconciliation. 'Joascii117rnalists are doing an important job in Syria, bascii117t also a very dangeroascii117s one,' he said.

He added that his brother had previoascii117sly worked as a cameraman and director&rsqascii117o;s assistant in a do*****entary film shot in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Coskascii117n said: '[The Tascii117rkish foreign minister] Ahmet Davascii117togascii117 called ascii117s this morning to tell ascii117s that the Tascii117rkish government woascii117ld do everything in their power to retascii117rn [Coskascii117n and &Oascii117ml;zk&oascii117ml;se] to ascii117s safely. We hope and pray that we will get good news soon.'

2012-03-15 15:58:18