Dienstag, 8. Januar 2008

No expulsion, I can continue travelling

finally after 5 days of investigations the national security office received the order from khartoum to let me continue to travel in sudan freely. i don't know if this order is a result of interventions by austrian diplomats, but i think, if the suspicions by the police were really serious, they had already put me in jail.the only restriction i'm facing now is that i'm not allowed to trek in the mountains anymore. so i'll leave port sudan, heading to ethiopia through kassala and gedaref within about one week. there i'll find more freedom to travel as i've already found out 1 year ago.

i'm quite upset that my story and the blog were published everywhere in the austrian media. i didn't intend to become famous this way, but it's me who put me in this bad situation. i've travelled to many countries before, but i still have to learn a lot, especially about the "not to do's" in police states like sudan.

the last days were mentally very hard for me as i was not sure about the results and consequences of the investigations. to be convicted of spying in sudan for sure leads to a long-term imprisonment. but i have to mention that the police treated me well and was very friendly (there's nobody sitting behind me forcing me to write this), except for forbidding me phonecalls and later also to use the internet.

for all journalists, embassy officials, etc. : you can use this blog entry as a basis for further reports, but i'm not ready for any interview. my problem is solved now and everything about it is written in this blog. i think there are thousands of other austrians travelling around the world with much more exciting stories. thanks for all diplomats who tried to help me, i'm sorry for not answering the mails, but i was not allowed to.

1 Kommentar:

Unknown hat gesagt…

Your story has reached far beyond the borders of Austria and Sudan. I learnt of your ordeals through an article published in South Africa.

It is rare to read first hand experiences in Sudan in widely accessible source. I believe that this is the reason for the widespread attention.

I wish you well on your travels and may you continue sharing your experiences in states such as Sudan with the world. Perhaps through after your safe return to Austria.

Kind regards from South Africa.