CARE
Workers Recovering from Detention in Belgrade Jail
Renown British Trauma Counselor Helping Pratt and Wallace
CONTACT:
Cynthia Glocker or Sue Aitkin, CARE USA, (404) 681-2552 ext.
453 / 203
ATLANTA (September 7, 1999) - British psychologist Gordon Turnbull is assisting CARE aid workers Steve Pratt and Peter Wallace regain control of their lives and a sense of dignity, after five months of detention in a Belgrade jail. Turnbull, a professional trauma counselor, renown for his work with Lebanon hostages Terry Waite and John McCarthy, says their progress is slow but improving.
In no way is this psychotherapy because a psychotherapist sets out to establish a change in the behavior of those who are not happy with the way they live their lives. But Steve and Peter were very happy with their lives and fully functional in all respects, said Turnbull. These are two resilient, resourceful individuals whove been dented by this extraordinary and unprecedented event.
We have some tasks ahead. These include simple practical tasks as part of the de-brief. So far this has meant shopping for clothes, shirts, shoes and trousers, being out and about, being recognized and congratulated in the street, making and receiving telephone calls, reestablishing links with old friends, enjoying the fresh air and good food of the English countryside and the odd pint down at the pub, he said.
The men are in control at all times. We are encouraging Steve and Peter to develop a full understanding of what has happened to them during this extraordinary time, added Turnbull. After counseling, they will be in a much better position to set the record straight.
Pratt and Wallace, along with their colleague Branko Jelen, were convicted in a closed military trial of passing on secret information to an international organization, namely to CARE, their employer. On September 2, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic released Pratt and Wallace on humanitarian grounds, but he did not release Jelen, who remains in prison.
CARE USA President Peter D. Bell said that CARE would not rest until it secures the freedom of Jelen. He reported that CARE Australia Chair Malcolm Fraser will return later this week to Belgrade to push for the release of the jailed aid worker.
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