Downer blasts hostage over comments

[Violet_Crumble]

Kidnapped Australian journalist John Martinkus was attacked today by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and former hostage Steve Pratt for appearing to say that Iraqi terrorists had a reason to kill some hostages.

Mr Martinkus, who was kidnapped and interrogated for more than 20 hours in Baghdad before being freed last weekend, sparked outrage when he said of his captors:"(From their perspective) there was a reason to kill (British hostage Ken) Bigley, there was a reason to kill the Americans; there was not a reason to kill me (and) luckily I managed to convince them of that."

Mr Downer said today it was pretty much the most appalling thing any Australian had said about the Iraq war.

He accused Mr Martinkus of giving comfort to terrorists by saying that their actions were understandable.

"I just could not believe he said those things, I was just appalled," Mr Downer told Melbourne radio 3AW.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/21/1098316769741.html

[sui generis]

1. he said "from their perspective".

I don't agree that it is giving comfort to the terrorists. It's just an objective statement.

[Unstuck In Time]

2. Memo to Downer: Get your sorry ass into Baghdad...

... hobnob a bit with the militants... then tell me about the purity of your views on the situation.

Or, just STFU.

[Djinn]

3. well downer you slimey shit

some of us couldn't beleive that you blamed this guy for his own kidnapping because he was in an area that he'd been told not to be in - given he was outside the hotel that almost all journo's in Iraq are staying