海角大神

Breaking a self-imposed silence, families of two Spanish reporters abducted in Syria three months ago by an Al Qaeda-affiliated group appealed聽Tuesday聽for their immediate release.

The two men join a growing list of journalists kidnapped or captured in Syria and whose plights are routinely kept from public view while negotiations are ongoing. Press advocacy groups say that at least 30 journalists are missing in Syria, mostly after entering rebel-held territory. For families and colleagues, deciding whether or not to draw attention to a suspected kidnapping can be an agonizing decision.

Javier Espinosa, a correspondent for the Madrid newspaper El Mundo, and Ricardo Garc铆a Vilanova, a freelance photographer working with Espinosa, were kidnapped on聽Sept. 16聽at a checkpoint in Tal-Abyad, near the Turkish border. El Mundo and the relatives said the kidnappers belonged to the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS), a militant group linked to Al Qaeda and one of several jihadist groups operating in Syria.

At the time, the reporters were being escorted out of Syria at the end of a two-week assignment by four fighters from the Free Syria Army, another rebel group. The four fighters were also detained by ISIS, but later released.

Speaking at a Madrid news conference, El Mundo director Pedro Ram铆rez聽said that the Spanish government, as well as the newspaper, family members, and several press freedom organizations, had all tried to seek the men鈥檚 release, but that ISIS had not replied.聽

鈥淯nfortunately, efforts to liberate them haven鈥檛 worked and because of that, after mutual agreement with their families, we decided to [publicize] the situation,鈥� Mr. Ram铆rez said.

The newspaper said it had been in indirect contact with the kidnappers, who had not presented any clear demands in return for the men鈥檚 release. During this time, news of their capture was kept quiet. Ram铆rez said they had since decided to go public because contact had broken down. 聽聽聽

A Spanish journalist who worked for Barcelona鈥檚 El Periodico, Marc Marginedas, is also missing in Syria. He may have been captured by ISIS or allied jihadist militias fighting a civil war against President Bashar al Assad,聽El Periodico said. It鈥檚 not clear whether Mr. Marginedas is with the other missing Spanish reporters.

Mr. Espinosa, a veteran war correspondent based in Beirut, had reported extensively in Syria and previously covered conflicts in Iraq, Sierra Leone, and the Balkans. Mr. Garc铆a is also a veteran of war zones and had previously been detained by ISIS for 10 days in Aleppo during a previous assignment in Syria.

聽鈥淚鈥檓 hopeful these three kidnappings will be resolved quickly, although for now all we have is information about them that we can鈥檛 even confirm,鈥� said Gervasio S谩nchez, a journalist who spoke on behalf of relatives of the detainees.

"Under investigation"

The last time that the two journalist were heard of was just hours before their abduction. There is no proof they are alive, although the last witness account from a month ago suggests they are being well treated and in the same area they were taken, S谩nchez and Ramirez said.

ISIS said that the two journalists are 鈥渦nder investigation,鈥� S谩nchez said.

Syria, with its brutal and chaotic ongoing civil war, 聽is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. 聽About 30 journalists are still missing in there, with several cases not being publicized at the request of family members and news outlets, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

A Polish journalist was released last month. In November two Swedish journalists were kidnapped. Several US journalists have also been detained, including Austin Tice, who disappeared in 2012 and is suspected to be in government custody.

Since the uprising began in early 2011 against President Assad鈥檚 regime, at least 55 journalists, mostly Syrians, have been killed in the conflict.聽

鈥淭he abductions of Javier Espinosa and Ricardo Garcia-Vilanova show that even the most experienced journalists are at risk in Syria, the most dangerous country in the world for the press,鈥� said Sherif Mansour,聽CPJ's Middle East and North Africa Coordinator.聽