Rotterdam, Netherlands
Dutch aid worker Arjan Erkel was released this week, bearded and frail, after being held captive for more than a year and a half in Dagestan, a Russian province bordering Chechnya. Erkel was head of operations in the region for Doctors Without Borders, a group that has been harshly critical of the Kremlin’s policies in Chechnya. The agency and many Western diplomats were convinced that the Kremlin was complicit in the kidnapping. After fruitless attempts at negotiation, Doctors Without Borders last month took out ads openly accusing the Kremlin. Erkel was then freed under mysterious circumstances. Arriving at the Rotterdam airport this week, Erkel kissed the ground and thanked the aid group “for getting me out of that nightmare.” The Russians blamed the kidnapping on gangsters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
-
Not there yet: The frustrations of the pocket AIFeature Apple rushes to roll out its ‘Apple Intelligence’ features but fails to deliver on promises
-
George Foreman: The boxing champ who reinvented home grillsFeature He helped define boxing’s golden era
