First things first

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve neglected my own blogging and engaged only in cursory blog reading and other Internet activities. The reason: Sylvia’s impending 4th birthday (which was yesterday).

There were lots of preparations, of the let’s-get-ready-for-her-party variety as well as of the oh-crap-my-parents-are-coming-to-stay-with-us-for-a-week-and-we-need-to-clean-up-this-dump variety.

The party was great fun (in spite of rain), the actual birthday was a blast, and we had a great visit with my parents. So now I’m starting to catch up.

Jan’s brother, Andy, was released from detention today. He boarded a plane out of Abuja, Nigeria, earlier this evening and is currently en route to Frankfurt. He should be home in New York tomorrow afternoon.

Jan and I are both very grateful for all of your efforts on Andy’s behalf. Thanks so much for your communications with senators (ten of whom issued a public letter to the Nigerian president today calling for Andy’s release), congressional representatives, people in the media, and the U.S. State Department. Every e-mail and phone call helped, I’m sure.

We are cautiously optimistic that Monday’s scheduled “routine final processing” will be just that. Please continue contacting your legislators, encouraging them to monitor the situation and take any appropriate action until we know for sure that Andy is safely out of Nigeria. Ask that they not forget to mention his translator, Samuel George, who has also been provisionally released in Port Harcourt.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

*****************CONTAINS UPDATES***********************

CONTACT Aaron Soffin, Storyteller Productions Phone: 917.887.4063
/ 212.712.2781 Email: soffin@gmail.com

American filmmaker provisionally released from Nigerian custody to US embassy personnel

NEW YORK, September 5, 2008 – American filmmaker Andrew Berends is being provisionally released to US embassy personnel late Friday night, but is required to return to the State Security Services on Monday for what is expected to be routine final processing. Berends was moved Friday from the SSS offices in Port Harcourt to the Nigerian capital of Abuja. His translator, Samuel George and a Port Harcourt businessman have apparently also been provisionally released in Port Harcourt and must return to the SSS there on Monday.

“Andrew’s family, friends and colleagues are relieved and happy to hear of this progress and appreciate the hard work on many fronts to get to this point,” said Aaron Soffin, Berends’ colleague and coordinator of the release efforts. “We trust that his final processing on Monday will be expedient and routine. We are anxious for confirmation that he is safely on his way out of the country.”

When she heard the news Polly Berends, his mother, said, “Nothing will make me happier than to hear his voice, except to hug him.”

Hearing of Berends’ arrest Senator Charles Schumer, D-New York and Senator Hillary Clinton, D-New York, each responded with a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calling for Berends’ immediate release. Several other US lawmakers, including Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, have also been actively engaged in advocating for Berends.

Berends was arrested at approximately 6 pm on Sunday, August 31st, by the Nigerian military along with his translator, Samuel George. Andrew entered Nigeria legally in April 2008 to complete a documentary film.

He’s still being detained in Nigeria. He has just been moved from Port Harcourt (where he’s been all week) to Abuja, the capitol. This is good news, as he will be closer to U.S. consular officials. It’s been six days since his arrest, and no one from the U.S. consulate has visited him yet, which is highly irregular in a situation such as this.

Senator Clinton and Senator Schumer have both issued statements urging the U.S. State Department to press the Nigerian government for Andy’s release. Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent and a board member of the Committee to Protect Journalists, has also issued a statement calling for Andy and his translator, Samuel George, to be released.

Updates are posted here as we have them.

Here’s the latest:

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Day 6, and still no action

Day 6 of Andrew’s illegal detention by the State Security Services of Nigeria. The U.S. State Department has been aware of Andrew’s detainment since Day 1, and he has still NOT been visited by a US consular official. This is highly irregular, and not the treatment we expect for a US journalist held in Nigeria — a country the US affords full diplomatic relations.

It’s time to take strong action NOW to advocate on Andrew’s behalf. With the weekend approaching, our ability to reach the State Dept. is diminishing.

Please take a few minutes out of your day to call the State Dept. and demand action for Andy:

We need him to be visited by a US consular official immediately. No more delays.

Please pick up the phone and make this call NOW.

What to say:

* As a constituent and a concerned citizen, I wanted to bring your attention to the news that it is the SIXTH DAY that American journalist Andrew Berends has been detained by the Nigerian government while working on a documentary.

* Nigeria enjoys the highest level of diplomatic relations with the United States, and for an American journalist to be detained without representation for such a prolonged time and continually subjected to coercive questioning is both highly inappropriate and illegal.

* We ask you to work to ensure the good treatment and speedy release of Andrew Berends, his interpreter Samuel George and Joe Bussio from Nigerian custody. Someone from the State Department in Nigeria needs to see him immediately.

Washington DC

Andrew Silski is at the Nigeria desk: 202-647-0252
Stuart Denyer is in charge of the case in DC: 202-736-9163

Nigeria

Call the main consular line in Abuja 011 234 9461 4262
Call the main consular lines in Lagos: Telephone: 011 234 1261 0050 or 011 234 1261 0078

We know that many of you have been in contact with your elected official, both your Congressional Representative or your Senator. We encourage you to continue to contact them towards Andrew’s release. If you have not contacted your Congressional Representative or your Senator, please do so today.

To get your Representative or Senator’s contact information, click here.

Senators from New York:

In addition to calling your local representative, we would like everyone to call the two Senators from New York State, Andrew’s home state. When talking with the New York representatives, please make sure you mention that Andrew is a New Yorker.

You can reach them here:
* Senator Charles Schumer (D- NY) 212-486-4430
* Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D- NY) 212-688-6262
Please forward this call to action to anyone you think could help by making a call to their representatives and the NY senators.

This just in from Andy’s editor, who is coordinating the effort to get him released:

We’ve engaged the help of Senators Schumer and Clinton, and we suggest you contact them to urge their continued involvement toward a speedy end. We also suggest you get in touch with your local congressperson and your U.S. senators to inform them of the situation and of the New York senators’ role. You can also call the state department and the embassies directly to voice your concern. I urge you to include Samuel George in your inquiries. He is Andrew’s translator and was arrested with him but has not seen the privileged treatment afforded to Andrew as a U.S. citizen.  We must make sure that our efforts work toward his safety and release as well.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

*****************CONTAINS UPDATES***********************

CONTACT Aaron Soffin, Storyteller Productions Phone: 917.887.4063
/ 212.712.2781 Email: soffin@gmail.com

Senator Charles Schumer calls American filmmaker’s detainment by the Nigerian government “untenable”

NEW YORK, September 4, 2008 – Hearing of the arrest of Andrew Berends, an established, award-winning American filmmaker and journalist, Senator Charles Schumer, D-New York, responded with a letter on Wednesday to Secretary of State Condelezza Rice calling for Berends’ immediate release.

“This situation is untenable,” said Schumer. “Mr. Berends, an award-winning journalist, was making a film about the Niger Delta, Nigeria’s oil-producing area, where government forces and armed separatists have been fighting for years. Unfortunately, it seems that the Nigerian government thinks that it can conceal the economic and ecological disaster in the region by harassing and intimidating foreign journalists. This is unacceptable.”

Berends was arrested at approximately 6 pm on Sunday, August 31st by the Nigerian military along with his translator, Samuel George. Andrew entered Nigeria legally in April 2008 to complete a documentary film.

At the time of his arrest Andrew Berends was filming women going to market at the Nembe waterside in Port Harcourt, a public place. Andrew received verbal permission to film in the area from the Sargeant in charge at the waterfront that day.

After Andrew’s initial arrest by the Nigerian military, he was transferred first to the police and then to the State Security Services. He was interrogated by all three groups for 36 hours without access to legal representation, and without being allowed to eat or sleep. Andrew stated that the interrogation was coercive, and that all of his statements to the SSS were involuntary.

There has been no news of his translator, Samuel George, since Monday, and there is concern that he may be undergoing poor treatment at the hands of the Nigerian Government.

The State Security Services confiscated Andrew’s personal belongings, including his passport, notebooks, camera, hard drives and laptop computer. Andrew remains under the custody of the Nigerian State Security Services.
Two-time Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker James Longley, who has known Andrew Berends for the last 16 years and worked side by side with him on documentary films in Iraq, added: “Now that more information is available to the highest levels of the Nigerian government about Andrew’s situation and the circumstances of his arrest, I am optimistic that this unfortunate matter will be resolved immediately.”

The US State Department continues to work on the situation, as does a private lawyer retained on Andrew’s behalf. Reporters without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists have issued statements condemning Andrew’s arrest. We, Andrew’s friends, family, and colleagues, are deeply concerned that he has been held without cause and are calling for the safe treatment and immediate release of Andrew Berends and Samuel George.

“Of course I am devastated by what my son is going through,” Polly Berends, Andrew’s mother said. “I’m terribly worried about him, and want him home as soon as possible. Throughout childhood and adolescence in Hastings-on-Hudson, Andy was always passionate about fairness. His work as a filmmaker reflects the same dedication. His films reveal untold stories of injustice objectively, letting facts speak vividly for themselves. I am hugely proud of him. I am also profoundly grateful for all the people working to get him released, and for the efforts of Senator (Hillary Rodham) Clinton’s and Senator Schumer’s offices on his behalf.”

Thanks so much, everyone, for your kindness. It really means a lot to us.

News of Andy’s situation has been picked up by a variety of news outlets. Here are a few:

New York Times
AP
Le Monde
Gulf News
AFP

A blog has been set up, but it looks like for now at least most updates are going through e-mail and forum channels.

He was temporarily released again last night (with orders to report back to the police this morning). Last night he spoke directly with his editor in New York (the person listed in the press release as the contact; he’s coordinating all communication and efforts among family, friends, and the documentary/journalism community), who sent out word to everyone about this communication and said Andy was doing all right.

An action alert was just issued a few moments ago. I’ve attached it below. Please take a look at it and take whatever action you can to help Andy. Thank you!

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*************ACTION ALERT!**************

We would like everyone to contact their congressional representatives to raise political pressure on this issue.

Phone Script for Elected Officials:

* As a constituent and a concerned citizen, I wanted to bring your attention to the news that American journalist Andrew Berends has been arrested by the Nigerian government while working on a documentary.

* Nigeria enjoys the highest level of diplomatic relations with the United States, and for an American journalist to be detained without representation and subjected to coercive questioning is both highly inappropriate and illegal.

* We ask you to make known your awareness and concern about this matter, contact your colleagues, and work to ensure the good treatment and speedy release of Andrew Berends and his interpreter from Nigerian custody.

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We would like everyone to call both their own local representatives and also the two Senators from New York State. When talking with New York reps, please add that Andrew is a New Yorker.

The contact information for NY senators Clinton and Schumer is:

* Senator Charles Schumer (D- NY) 202-224-6542
* Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D- NY) 202-224-4451

Your local representatives contacts may be found here.

Please forward this call to action to anyone you think could help by making a call to their representatives and the NY senators.

I think I’ve mentioned here before that my husband’s brother is an independent documentary filmmaker. Since April he’s been in Nigeria, working on a film about conflicts in the Niger Delta. Two days ago he was arrested on a spying charge.

Here is the official press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Aaron Soffin, Storyteller Productions
Phone: 917.887.4063 / 212.712.2781
Email: soffin@gmail.com

American documentary filmmaker detained in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

NEW YORK, September 2, 2008 – Andrew Berends, an established, award-winning American filmmaker and journalist from New York, was detained Sunday August 31st by the Nigerian military along with his translator, Samuel George, and Joe Bussio, the manager of a local bar. Andrew entered Nigeria legally in April 2008 to complete a documentary film.

Andrew was held in custody without food, sleep, or representation, and with limited water for 36 hours. He was questioned by the army, the police, and the State Security Services in Port Harcourt. He was then temporarily released, with an order to the SSS office at 9AM Tuesday morning. The State Security Services has confiscated his passport and personal property. Andrew’s translator, Samuel George, remained in custody over night.

The US State Department is aware of the situation, and an attorney has been retained on Andrewʼs behalf. We, Andrew’s friends, family, and colleagues, are deeply concerned that he has been held without cause and are calling for his safe treatment and immediate release.

Reporters sans frontieres (Reporters without Borders) has issued a similar statement.

Andy was released for the night yesterday but ordered to report back to the police this morning. While he was out he was able to communicate with my husband via e-mail. It sounds like he’s okay for now, but it’s unclear what will happen next.

Whatever you have that might help him—media contacts, high-level political contacts, happy thoughts, good karma, whatever—please use it now. And please spread the work about this: the more attention it gets, the better.

Thank you.

Here’s the short version: Last fall, a CNET editor named James Kim died in the wilderness of southwestern Oregon. He, his wife, and their two very young daughters had gotten stranded on a remote road in a snowstorm, and after nearly a week of waiting for rescue, he set off on foot to find help and died of exposure two days later, the same day his family was found and rescued. (There’s a detailed timeline and map here.)

When the story about a family missing in Oregon hit the airwaves during the week after Thanksgiving, it grabbed the public’s attention and didn’t let go. Several of the more tech-y blogs I read highlighted James Kim’s job as a CNET editor. My interest in the story was initially piqued in part because had I lived for a year not too far from where searchers were focusing their efforts (the route the Kims were supposed to take to reach the coast is one I followed many times myself). I hoped they would be found alive and safe, and was saddened when that wasn’t the case.

Dutch at Sweet Juniper, who met James Kim once, wrote about that meeting and how he felt about last fall’s events. The whole post is beautifully written, and the description of the choice James and his wife made for him to leave in search of help is especially poignant:

It breaks my heart to think of that moment, 7:45 a.m. last Saturday, when you parted from your family. I am reminded of Hector, standing with Andromache at Priam’s gate, his infant son there fearful of his horsehair plume, knowing his duty as a man, but also knowing he might never see them again. He spoke these words to her sorrow:

Fix’d is the term to all the race of earth;
And such the hard condition of our birth:
No force can then resist, no flight can save,
All sink alike, the fearful and the brave. [transl. Pope]

This mention of The Iliad is gut-wrenchingly perfect. How must it feel to say goodbye to your family, then literally walk away from them, knowing that you were very likely not going to see them again? It’s not the same as a soldier’s farewell before shipping off to duty, for soldiers often leave with a reasonable expectation of returning home again. But for Hector—and James Kim—such a departure is into the arms of near-certain death.

I cannot imagine how wrenching this decision was for the Kims. (The Internet can be a nasty place, and of course there are forum trolls who heartlessly dissect the Kims’ actions with all sorts of “should have”s and “shouldn’t have”s.) What would I do, I wondered, in the same situation? Could I walk sixteen miles in two days in freezing weather on snowy roads to try to find help? How would Jan or I decide who would embark on such a trip, leaving the other with our daughter?

Last fall I wanted to write about this, but when I started to write a post I didn’t know quite what to say. So I didn’t say anything. For a year it has haunted me, popping back into my thoughts every time I saw that unpublished draft post with a title but no content. Now, a year after the Kims’ tale reached its unhappy conclusion, it seemed time to put it to rest.

A few days ago, the New York Times decided to get rid of TimesSelect, making all of its current content free. (And archives back to 1987 are free, too.) This delights me for many of reasons, not the least of which is I can once again read Paul Krugman’s op-ed column, which had been a for-fee item under TimesSelect.

And now, I just found out (thanks, Jan) that Krugman has a blog.

My cup runneth over…