1981 Salamati hostage crisis
| 1981 Salamati hostage crisis | |
|---|---|
| Location | Salamat |
| Date | April 27 1981 - May 12 1982 (UTC-01:00) |
| Target | Gassasinian citizens in Salamat |
| Deaths | 0 |
Non-fatal injuries | 3 (at least) |
| Perpetrators | Jalil Al Kharrabi |
The 1981 Salamati hostage crisis is one of the longest hostage crisis of the history of Anteria, lasting 1 year and 15 days.
Background
Following the murder of the Independentist fighter and politician Majid Muhammad in Jabiyah on March 24 1981, a wave of condemnation worldwide emerged, and ultimately, most of the nations agreed to impose an embargo on Salamat, which became effective on April 10 1981.
Jalil Al Kharrabi, upon learning this, became furious. He suggested, during a meeting with top officers of the army and ministers, to punish the Gassasinians by taking some of their citizens hostage, as a sign of protest.
Timeline
April 13 - April 24 1981
Following the meeting with top officers , six Gassasinian citizens (Ahmad Bashar, Abjad Tarik, Mona Mansour, Michael Najib, Saleh Kaci and Iyad Michal Malek) were arrested by soldiers, either in their own houses, workplaces or in the street, for obscure reasons. The six citizens were jailed in different prisons, cut from any news from the outside world and badly fed.
May 16 1981
Following the polemic in Gassasinia regarding the 6 hostages, the Gassasinian government decided to call back its own diplomats in Salamat to Jabiyah. Around the same time, Jalil Al Kharrabi declared that these hostages wouldn't see anything else than the four walls of their own cells until the sanctions were lifted.
May 19 1981
The Gassasinian government officially break diplomatic ties with Salamat.
May 28 1981
On this day, a short videoclip of Michael Najib, one of the six hostages, was released by Salamat and shown on state TV. On the videoclip, we can see Najib with bruises, malnourished and visibly fearing what could happen to him. The hostage was then thrown rocks by children, treating him of a traitor of the Arabs.
Gassasinians were shocked by the videoclip and some protested against Al Kharrabi in Jabiyah, while some harassed Salamati immigrants in the streets the same way the children harassed Najib.
July 6 1981
After multiple negociations with Salamati authorities, Sadiq Bashar, a Gassasinian official, minister of TBA, came in Salamat to see the hostages. For the occasion, nearly all of the hostages (except Mona Mansour) were freed and met Bashar. However, he was only able to provide some news from the outside world and contact with home, but no confirmation about their liberation.
July 11 1981
Sadiq Bashar returned to Gassasinia after his meeting with the hostages. He declared that the visit was a small step for the freedom of the Gassasinian nationals. He also said that the encounter was videotaped, and the video was shown on Gassasinian TV. However, the absence of Mona Mansour alerted some, which thought that she was possibly dead. It was later confirmed that she was sick at the time of the visit.
September 3 1981 - September 7 1981
On the Salamati Independence Day, Salamati authorities allowed family of the hostages and Gassasinian officials to come visit the hostages. Shortly after, 11 Gassasinians, either officials or family, arrived in Dar Al Hamma International Airport and visited the hostages. Officials also convinced authorities to move the hostages into the same prison and give them better food rations.
However, the brother of Iyad Michal Malek made negative comments of the Kharrabi regime in front of soldiers, which displeased Al Kharrabi, who sent the families and officials back to Gassasinia.
September 16 1981
After the incident of September 7 1981, a video of Iyad Michal Malek being beaten by Salamati soldiers was leaked by the People's Salamati Resistance Front, which aroused anger in Gassasinia. The Gassasinian government officially declared that the Salamati authorities will pay for this, and that the hostages will be free one day.
September 30 1981
A Salamati diplomat sent a message to Gassasinia, informing them that the murderer of Majid Muhammad was executed.
January 21 1982
As a retaliation against the hostage taking by Salamat, the Gassasinian Security Service sent an unfused bomb to the Salamati Embassy of Kakland. The embassy was closed, fearing an attack, and the diplomats were called back to Dar Al Hamma.
January 25 1982
4 days later, another unfused bomb was found near the headquarters of Salamoil in Kakland. The building was evacuated and some staff flew back to Salamat. With the bomb, a letter in Arabic read "If you don't free the hostages, we'll free your soul from your bodies", signed with the name Abdallah.B.
The Salamati authorities blamed the PSRF, called them "terrorists", "mad dogs", "traitors" and "son of bi****".
February 5 1982
A Gassasinian imam was granted permission by both Gassasinian and Salamati authorities to lead the Friday prayer with 3 of the 6 hostages. However, the prayer was heavily supervised by soldiers, and the subject of the khotba was assigned by the Salamati authorities to the imam. Some viewed this as a step for peace. Upon his arrival in Gassasinia, he was heavily praised by both Gassasinians and Salamatis.
March 11 1982 - March 17 1982
Ahmad Al Badr, a Salamati diplomat, along with his co-worker Ibrahim Al Maghribi, were taken hostages by armed men in the Salamati embassy in Zona Umida. During 6 full days, these men demanded the release of the six Gassasinian hostages in exchange for the Salamati diplomats.
Al Kharrabi accepted to negotiate and on March 17, both were released and arrived in Salamat the day after.
April 29 1982
The National Assembly of Salamat (then Absolute People's Congress) voted majoritarily to end the hostage crisis and to release them.
May 2 1982 - May 6 1982
A four-day long meeting was organized between Gassasinian and Salamati officials to negotiate an hostage release agreement. The agreement was signed on May 6 1982.
May 11 1982
The hostages were freed from their prison cells.
May 12 1982
The hostages returned safely to Gassasinia.