Gift of the Givers has said that it had received clear proof that journalist Shiraaz Mahomed, who was abducted in the vicinity of Gift of the Givers Ar Rahma Hospital in Darkoush, Syria, was alive. He was abducted on January 10, 2017.
Gift of the Givers says Mahomed was in war ravaged Syria to capture the plight of ordinary people. The NGO says it has now received what it describes as an important video showing the man giving a statement while flanked by another man wearing a balaclava and holding an AK 47 assault rifle.
His abductors accuse Mahomed of being a foreign spy. Founder of Gift of the Givers, Imtiaz Sooliman says Mahomed’s family is very happy to have clear proof that he is alive.
“We have been speaking to people for quite some time over the last two years and three months. On the 12th of April we got some kind of a breakthrough, which I cannot talk about and finally on Friday night as a result of that breakthrough the video came to us. Those people who end the video said they will discuss later and probably some time this coming week, we will hear what they have to say, whether there’s any demands or what the situation is.”
Meanwhile, the Department of International Relations, Dirco, says it will go through its own processes to verify the authenticity of the video purportedly showing that photojournalist, Shiraaz Mahomed is still alive.
Dirco says it cannot comment further on the matter at this stage.
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