• When translating news lands you in prison
    To suppress freedom of the press, some regimes arrest, prosecute and imprison translators
  • When staying incognito is paramount to staying alive
    Interpreters in war zones must wear masks to avoid being kidnapped, tortured and killed
  • When interpreting for journalists puts you in the cross hairs
    Targeted by state and non-state actors, interpreters face the fallout from controversial stories

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Journalist saved, interpreter killed

POSTED ON July 10 th, 2018

In 2007, Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacamo, his interpreter Ajmal Naqshbandi, and their driver Syed Agha were captured in Afghanistan. The driver was decapitated soon thereafter. The journalist was rescued in a controversial deal struck between the Afghan and Italian governments that swapped him for imprisoned Taliban fighters. The interpreter was not included in that exchange and was ultimately killed by the kidnappers.