LS member KASH Gabriele Torsello abducted in Afghanistan

LS member KASH Gabriele Torsello (http://www.lightstalkers.org/kash) has apparently been abducted in Southern Afghanistan. Reuters: <http://uk.news.yahoo.com/14102006/325/afghan-gunmen-seize-italian-journalist-report.html>.

He is Italian and based in the UK. NUJ, CPJ, UK Foreign Office, Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry and Peace Reporters in Milano have been alerted.
RSF in Paris doesn’t seem to pick up the phone and emergency number is wrong.

by David Brabyn at Sat Oct 14 19:07:30 UTC 2006 (ed. Mar 12 2008) New York City, United States | Bookmark this | Digg this |

I sincerely hope he is released unharmed ASAP. Just goes to remind people like me, who start to get sleepy and lax about risks and sscurity while working, that this is not a buinsess to mess about with. best of luck and we hope to keep posted on this incident and G’s whereabouts, health and condition. I hope Reuters is working on this.

by Eric Beecroft | 14 Oct 2006 19:10 | Salt Lake City, United States |

agreed eric.. on all points..
david do keep us posted…
i certainly ‘hope’ reuters is working on this.. but dont imagine waiting…david..do you know who else is already on this???
e….

by Ethan Rafal | 14 Oct 2006 20:10 | portland, oremagon, United States |

My God, how awful. Our thoughts and prayers are with him for his safe return. Please keep us posted, and I will watch for alerts as well.

by Gayle Hegland | 14 Oct 2006 20:10 (ed. Oct 14 2006) | Montana, United States |

That is it for the organizations working on this AFAIK but I my sources may be incomplete. However the news is spreading quite fast (the wire services – it seems – have all covered it). So I expect all relevant bodies will soon be informed.

It then becomes a matter of putting pressure on people, particularly official entities.

And any ideas/contacts that could be useful?

David

by David Brabyn | 14 Oct 2006 20:10 | New York City, United States |

my guess is that anyone on here working the region would have a better idea who/ what is to be done….. cant speak on afghan.. but know that in my case.. a few mnths back.. and those paralleling mine… certain things were done well.. and certain things not.. does italy have a good track record for cases like this??? a cerrtain neighbor of theirs absolutely fucked up a few months back… totally neglected to throw appropriate pressure on a similar case… and really.. with no justification…

does anyone have any ideas on who is holding him??? anyone in contact with him recently??? i hate to sound dramatic.. but i do not believe that it can be assumed that reuters and the GoI will take this on well enough…..hard to know though.. pressure may not be the ticket… others working in the region?????? italian nationals here????

by Ethan Rafal | 14 Oct 2006 21:10 | portland, oremagon, United States |

we met for a drink some 3 months ago in London – Kash seems to take security issues very seriously, doesn’t look like a person taking unnecessary risks and he’s been to Helmand and other regions before. he joined zuma recently, I wonder if they’re involved in efforts to secure his release, but I am guessing the fact that his Italian will be a major thing, so hopefully this will end soon.

by Luke Wolagiewicz | 15 Oct 2006 06:10 | Johannesburg, South Africa |