Freed journalists speak of 'mental terror' in Liberian jail

In this story: Threat of death penalty Apology from Channel 4 RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

LONDON (CNN) -- Three members of the four-member television crew accused of spying in Liberia arrived in Britain on Saturday and spoke of their terror after being arrested by Liberian authorities.

Britons David Barrie and Timothy Lambon and Sierra Leonean Sorious Samura, as well as South African Gugulakhe Radebe, were freed from jail on Friday after they officially apologized to President Charles Taylor and the Liberian people.

VIDEO CNN's Ralitsa Vassileva reports on the four journalists freed after being held on espionage charges. Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO Journalist Sorious Samura told CNN after being freed that he may return to Liberia in the future 677K/31 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Samura on the written apology issued to the Liberian government 788K/36 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Samura on the harsh treatment he received while jailed in Liberia 686K/31 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Listen to Liberian President Taylor comment on the arrest and release of the four journalists Part one: 437k/20 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Part two: 476k/23 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     MESSAGE BOARD Journalists at risk     ALSO Samura: 'Fresh air of freedom'

Samura told a news conference at London's Heathrow airport about his ordeal in a Liberian jail cell.

"This guy came in with a knife in his hand ... he said: 'We're going to eat your heart and use your blood to write Cry Samura.'" The captor was referring to Samura's award-winning documentary "Cry Freetown," about the war in Sierra Leone.

"Every time they touched the door I thought, well, that's it," Samura said.

Lambon and Barrie said they had felt "total terror" as they were bundled into the back of two trucks by men dressed in black and cocking their AKs."

"Although there might not have been serious physical abuse ... it was a situation of serious mental terror," Lambon said.

Barrie said: "We went there to do a job, we meant no offense. We went in there to try and understand the country."

Radebe has returned to Johannesburg.

Threat of death penalty

The four had lived for a week under the threat of a possible death penalty after being charged with espionage while filming a documentary for CNN and Britain's Channel 4 television.

CNN, which had hired the journalists to work on a documentary about migration in Africa, said it was "pleased" and "relieved" to hear that they had been freed and that a "peaceful and amicable resolution" had been found.

Eason Jordan, president of global newsgathering and international networks for CNN, added: "The safety of journalists is paramount to CNN, as it is to news organizations worldwide."

Taylor said the men were arrested because a script found in their possession allegedly contained "lies and slander" about Liberia and was essentially "yellow journalism."

He said the journalists had accused Liberia of diamond smuggling and gun-running.

"That's grounds for the United States and Britain to start military action against Liberia. That's grounds for sanctions," Taylor had said.

Taylor said he had allowed them to go after "plea-bargaining" between the Liberian government and the four's lawyers.

Taylor said the TV crew's script had been "hypothetical" and that "the journalists came here to fill in the blanks."

He said the script described a scene in which he drove the journalists to a diamond mine, a scenario he called "utterly impossible."

"They even had me giving them gifts -- people I have never met," said Taylor.

Taylor said he wondered how much of "Cry Freetown," shot by Samura and shown on CNN, was hypothetical.

"Little countries do not have this luxury of defending themselves. We have to do it before the fact, not after the fact," said Taylor.

Apology from Channel 4

Those who had intervened to help gain the journalists' freedom included U.S. Special Envoy to Africa the Rev. Jesse Jackson; former South African President Nelson Mandela, and ex-world footballer of the year George Weah.

The release also came after Channel 4 had written to the president to apologize for the documents the four had been carrying which had offended Taylor.

The Channel 4 letter said that it fully understood the contents of the document would have "caused deep offence and distress to yourself and to the people of Liberia.

"Both Channel 4 as an organization and the four journalists individually apologize unreservedly for the offence which has been caused."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Friends of Liberia
Republic of Liberia
Channel 4 Television
Cry Freetown
Committee to Protect Journalists -- Press Freedom Online
International Journalists' Network
Amnesty International

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