BBC News 24 Interviews with Johnston, Boaden

BBC News 24 interview with Alan Johnston

Alan Johnston was interviewed live on BBC News 24 at 3am UK time.

AJ: It's difficult to quite know where to begin. At this second I'm at the home of the Hamas Prime Minister and… and… yes, I was released a couple of hours ago and it's just the most fantastic thing to be free. It was an appalling experience as you can imagine, 16 weeks kidnapped, sometimes occasionally quite terrifying and frightening… I didn't know where it was going to end. It became almost hard to imagine normal life again and I literally dreamed many many times of being free and I always woke up back in that room. Now it really is over and it's indescribably good to be out, and I'm hugely grateful to all the people, an amazing number of people who have worked on the Palestinian side, the British Government, the BBC from top to bottom and the huge amount of support from BBC listeners and viewers. I had a radio almost throughout and was able to follow all the extraordinary level of support and interest in my case and that was a huge psychological boost and I am immensely grateful.

N24: What about your family? I must ask about them.

AJ: It's been incredibly hectic, but I did manage to speak to my dad very soon after I was released. All through it they were my major concern. I was so, so sorry that my activities should have brought all this trouble to their peaceful lives. They live on the west coast of Scotland and they have been through an awful lot and it's just so good, the thought that I'll be with them soon.

N24: There has been an online petition… You've spoken to your boss, Simon Wilson, the Middle East BBC bureau chief.

AJ: I have indeed. I spoke to him very soon after I was released. And that petition that I heard the number was rising every week was really extraordinary. Messages were read as well. Amazing really to be lying in solidarity confinement in week 13, 14, whatever and hearing people from Nigeria or Malaysia or sometimes friends from London or colleagues sending messages of support… was extraordinarily fortunate in that way. It's almost unheard of for a kidnap victim to have that kind of support. I thought if I could get through with a degree of support… I think I have to go.

I feel… I think I'm OK. It was an extraordinary level of stress and psychological pressure for a long, long time and obviously difficult to keep your mind in the right place. It's a constant battle, but I feel I probably got through it as well as I could. I probably won't know for a while, but I feel as well as I could I think.

N24: What are the plans for you now?

AJ: At this moment I'm sitting beside the Hamas leader in his home, and I've really got to go. Phone again on Ismail Haniyeh's number if you need to.

BBC News 24 interview with Helen Boaden

The following are extracts from an interview given live on BBC News 24 at 3.32am UK time by Helen Boaden, Director of BBC News.

"It's a fantastic moment… absolutely fantastic. We are overjoyed and incredibly grateful to all the people who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes in London, Jerusalem, Gaza, across the Middle East…"

"The phone went about an hour ago. It was Jon Williams saying 'I've got good news. Alan's free'."

"You have to keep reminding everyone of Alan's situation and also to demonstrate solidarity to him and his parents, who have been remarkable throughout this. They have been extraordinarily courageous and resilient throughout all of this. It's an incredibly anguishing thing to go through... I spoke to them a few moments ago… his father Graham said 'it feels like a great cloud has been lifted from me'. They're delighted… overjoyed. And to actually be able to speak to Alan… was just the best thing that could have happened to them."

"It's not quite clear to us [what's going on]. I would imagine that the Hamas people will be talking to the British consulate about what happens next and how he comes out of Gaza, because getting out of Gaza isn't the easiest thing in the world. Then it will obviously be a question of what he wants to do at that point and what we can offer him. We take a lot of advice from the police who have experience in hostage taking and psychologists who also know the impact… you can't be prescriptive about it…what the impact will be on Alan. He's a very grown up highly sophisticated, brave man."

"We knew there was a momentum; we hoped it was a momentum for the good. Alan is deeply loved by the ordinary Palestinians, many of whom felt terribly ashamed that this had happened to him. He's an incredibly impartial journalist… but he chose to live there and report from a very difficult place. He enjoys the more challenging of our assignments."

ENDS

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