The Tunisian Foreign Minister said Monday that his country has compelling evidences that the Tunisian journalists Sufian Al-Shawarbi and Nadeer Al-Qatari, abducted in Libya a year ago, are still alive.

Taieb Baccouche added in a press statement that the two journalists are in good health and contacts are underway to release them.

Both journalists Al-Shawarbi and photographer Al-Qatari were abducted near the eastern city of Ejdabiya in September 2014.

Seven months later, Tobruk government announced that the two journalists had been murdered by Daesh/IS. The Tunisian authorities cast doubt on the announcement and sent a team of investigators to the eastern region to make sure of Tobruk government claims.

Unconfirmed reports say that the two were abducted by pro-Khalifa Haftar militants on charges of espionage.

Early this year, the father of one of the Tunisian journalists accused Khalifa Haftar and Ibrahim Jodran, a militiaman controlling the oil crescent, of being behind the kidnapping of his son and his colleague.

The Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists also accused Khalifa Haftar of kidnapping the two journalists, identifying one of the kidnappers, appeared in a picture with the two journalists, as Abu Buker Al-Ajnaf, a senior field commander in Khalifa Haftar’s forces. 

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