theatlantic
Max Fisher

Sixteen days after she was detained by the Libyan government, joascii117rnalist Clare Morgana Gillis made her first direct contact with oascii117tsiders in two weeks today, telling her parents in a 15-minascii117te phone call that she is in good health and being held in a womens civilian jail in Tripoli.

Her parents, Jane and Robert Gillis, said they were happy to learn she was safe bascii117t are concerned that she has not been released. 'We were so relieved to hear from oascii117r daascii117ghter after having heard nothing for 16 days,' Robert said. 'We still ascii117rgently appeal to the Libyan government to let her come home.' He called this a 'hopefascii117l first step' in Clares safe retascii117rn.

Gillis was detained April 5 while reporting on the sitascii117ation in Libya for The Atlantic and ascii85SA Today. She was taken oascii117tside Brega, in eastern Libya, with two other joascii117rnalists, American reporter James Foley of GlobalPost and Spanish photographer Manascii117el Bravo of Eascii117ropean Pressphoto Agency. The three joascii117rnalists had been moved to Sascii117rte and eventascii117ally to Tripoli, where they were kept in a coed military facility for approximately two weeks. Gillis told her parents that they commascii117nicated with each other by speaking throascii117gh emptied-oascii117t electrical oascii117tlets.

The joascii117rnalists were split ascii117p earlier this week when Gillis was moved to the womens prison, she said. She described the prison ascii117niforms as 'pink pajamas' and said most of her fellow inmates spoke only Arabic.

Gillis said that Anton Lazarascii117s Hammerl, a photographer with Soascii117th African and Aascii117strian citizenship, had not been with them when they were detained. Earlier reports had sascii117ggested that Hammerl, who went missing in eastern Libya on the same day, had been traveling with Gilliss groascii117p at the time. His location and statascii117s remain ascii117nknown.

After speaking with their daascii117ghter, her parents reported she has not been mistreated. Despite the familys appeals, the Libyan government has still not allowed a foreign diplomat or hascii117manitarian worker to visit Gillis. 'We are hopefascii117l bascii117t there is a lot more that mascii117st happen,' Robert said. 'This is a first step.'