Freedom of expression advocates around the world celebrated the release of  Alan Johnston on the morning of 4 July. The BBC Gaza correspondent was held in captivity for 114 days by the Army of Islam group, raising new concerns about the safety of journalists in conflict zones. by Nicole Fung from Index on Censorship

Johnston described his captivity as ‘appalling’. ‘It’s the most fantastic thing to be free’, he added. Being the only western correspondent working full-time in Gaza, Johnston had been there for three years before he was kidnapped. He was abduced in Gaza City on his way to work on 12 March by captors who later declared themselves to be the Army of Islam, an al Qaida-inspired group that linked to one of Gaza’s powerful clans.

´The last 16 weeks were by far the worst days of my life. It was like being buried alive, removed from the world. It was occasionally terrifying´, said the reporter. His captors told him that he would not be killed or tortured but for 24 hours Johnston was handcuffed and a hood put over his head.

Tension increased when Johnston was seen in a video issued by his captors last month. He appeared to be wearing a vest of explosives and the group threatened to kill him if there was attempt to free him by force.

On 3 July, Hamas security forces surrounded a group of buildings in Gaza City where Johnston was believed to have been held. They issued several demands to the kidnappers, and members of the Hamas police, the Executive Force, occupied the rooftops of high-rise apartments that oversee the stronghold of the Dogmush family, to which the head of the Army of Islam, Mumtaz Dogmush, belonged. As night approached, dozens of Hamas gunmen in black masks moved closer to the Dogmush compound. The breakthrough was said to have come after the Popular Resistance Committee, another militant group, intervened and negotiated a final agreement with Mumtaz Dogmush. Johnston was then freed.

Throughout most of his captivity, Johnston had a radio and was ‘able to follow all the extraordinary level of support and interest’ in his case, claiming ‘it was a huge psychological boost´.

Index on Censorship, ARTICLE 19 and English PEN congratulate Johnston for being awarded the Amnesty radio journalism award just hours after he was released. The BBC correspondent was  honoured for highlighting human rights abuses through his reporting.  During his three years in Gaza, he broadcast radio reports documenting ordinary people’s stories and bringing the plight of Palestinian people to international attention.