So now, Tjostolv and Joshua are moved to a cell with no protection because they can’t lock it and no electricity so they can’t use the fan. There is an open window out to the street where there is a disco that is pounding all night. They have to have an inmate with them, so it’s impossible to sleep through the day and work out at night. There is no doubt that the exercise is what’s kept them alive this long. They have to pay attention all day now, so what little they have is not stolen. They can’t live like this, that’s why they’re on a hunger strike. This nonsense about digging their way out is just an excuse to torment them as much as possible. If they wanted to escape they could just walk out the front gate. The guards are totally corrupt and people escape every day.
The problem is not getting out, but the fact that it’s 100 miles to the nearest border. After a few hours a military division would come after them and the chances of being killed is 100%. That’s why they haven’t escaped!
They are so tired, and if they can’t work out and the hunger strike weakens them it could be the beginning of the end.
They sit there as spies in favor of Norway, sentenced to death. The Congolese use them as hostages for money. It doesn’t matter that they’re not spies. They don’t care about evidence, just wild accusations. It was the same for murder, criminal association etc. Anyone who reads the verdicts that is posted on this website can see the madness!
The Foreign Ministry has tried negotiating in different ways with ambassadors and notes. But Congo doesn’t play with normal political rules. They seem to be living in a world of their own where corruption not only is widespread but the state-bearing element.
For these boys to come out alive and now it’s urgent, it has to be immediate action and with sufficient weight! Mr. Clinton managed to get two arrested out of North Korea by going there.
American senators have gone and gotten people out of Bangladesh and Iran. The Germans have done the same. It’s possible. It’s possible that some diplomatic principals have to be broken. It’s a consideration in extreme situations if human lives are worth more than principals.
We have one of the best Foreign Ministers in the world. If he goes there I think he has a chance of getting them home! That would be a human and a diplomatic triumph that will be noticed all over the world. This case is so special that the world notices it.
Knut Moland, August 28th 2011
