Alan Johnston

Alan Graham Johnston ( born May 17, 1962 in Lindi, Tanganyika, Tanzania ) is a British journalist with the BBC.

Life

Alan Johnston was born to Scottish parents in Tanzania. He attended Dollar Academy in Dollar and studied at the University of Dundee in Dundee. Since 1991 he works for the BBC. He was a correspondent in Tashkent and Kabul, before he went to Gaza, where he worked from April 2004 until his abduction. During this period, Alan Johnston was the only constantly living in the Gaza Strip Western journalist. On 12 March 2007 he was kidnapped in Gaza City and released on July 4, 2007.

Abduction

On 12 March 2007 Alan Johnston was kidnapped by the army of Islam. The kidnappers released on 1 June 2007, a hostage video of the BBC reporter with an explosive belt around the waist. Then they demanded a release of Muslim prisoners in Britain. Alan Johnston was released on 4 July 2007 after 114 days hostage again. He became the home of the Hamas leaders in the region, Ismail Haniyya, down.

Awards

On the day of his release Alan Johnston was awarded the Media Award of the British Section of Amnesty International.