I was treated with respect: Freed reporter

An Australian TV reporter who was briefly kidnapped in Iraq said today his captors had treated him with respect.

Looking well, John Martinis arrived in Amman, the Jordanian capital, on a flight from Baghdad.

“I was not hurt,” he said when asked about his captivity. “I was treated with respect, once they established my credentials as an independent journalist.”

Martinis was held hostage by militants in Baghdad for 24 hours over the weekend.

Earlier, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said: “The journalist went out to investigate a story, I understand, and went to a part of Baghdad he was advised not to go to, but he went there anyway.”

More than 150 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in April last year. Some kidnapping groups seek ransom, while others pursue political motives.