Wear yellow for Anton

A DELEGATION from the SA National Editors’ Forum and the Free Anton Hammerl Campaign was expected to meet Minister for International Relations and Co-operation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane today about the lack of progress in the captured photographer’s case.

And his family have appealed to people to wear yellow ribbons to help apply pressure for his release.

Today marks 42 days since Hammerl last made contact with the outside world.

He was captured in Libya, along with two journalists from the US and one from Spain. While the other three have been allowed calls home and visitors from the outside world, Hammerl has not been heard from. His captors have assured his family he is alive.

Letters expressing shock that a South African citizen could be held in another African country without the right to make a phone call home have been pouring in.

On Saturday, 40 days since he was captured by pro-Gaddafi forces near Brega, his family launched the yellow ribbon campaign. Within 24 hours, ribbons were adorning trees, gardens, cars, babies and dogs across the world. South Africa, London, Kenya, Egypt, New Zealand and European countries have come on board.

“Within a few hours of getting the word out to neighbours, when we walked outside we could see yellow ribbons dotting the street. It was such an emotional moment,” the photographer’s mother, Freda Hammerl, said.

She added that as she tied the ribbon to her gatepost outside the family home in London, she kept thinking: “Please bring my son home.”

Messages of support for his family have also been streaming in on Facebook.

His mother said the pain of not knowing whether her son was safe, physically well or being treated humanely was “intolerable”.

“When people ask about the yellow ribbons, tell them my son has been missing in Libya for many, many days. Tell them we are asking governments to negotiate with the Libyans for one call to us from Anton, a consular visit to him, and for him to come home,” she said.

The campaign will run until he gets home. – Staff Reporter