BUCHAREST - The families and colleagues of three Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq in March demanded their release at a rally in Bucharest's main square on Thursday. About 100 protesters chanted "Freedom" and held a banner reading "Silence Won't Bring Them Home" in support of Prima TV reporter Marie Jeanne Ion, cameraman Sorin Miscoci, and Ovidiu Ohanesian from Romania Libera daily.
The hostages, kidnapped on March 28, have been shown on an Al Jazeera video in poor condition while masked men stood by with guns. The kidnappers have threatened to kill them if Romania does not pull out its 800 troops from Iraq.
The Bucharest protesters stopped short of calling for the troops to be withdrawn but asked Romania's President Traian Basescu to make every effort to secure the safe return of the hostages.
"I'm trying to be optimistic. I attend this solidarity gathering together with colleagues of my daughter. We all want Basescu to keep the promise (to bring the hostages home) he made to Romanians," said Marie Jeanne's father Vasile Ion.
Basescu said authorities were doing all they could to ensure the release of the three, seized in Baghdad together with their translator who has Romanian, U.S. and Iraqi citizenship. "I'm desperate, what else can I say? We pin our only hope on the authorities. We're eagerly waiting for any news about them. It's been a very long time since they were kidnapped ... 52 days," said Ohanesian's sister, Anne Marie.
Basescu has faced criticism over a perceived lack of information on rescue efforts by the presidency, which took over the handling of the crisis.
The last news on the hostages was offered by Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu in early May when he said they were still alive and Bucharest was negotiating their release.
A deadline for their execution expired on April 27 but Bucharest has asked for an extension while it negotiates.