Belarusian, Moldovan women reportedly escape capture by Syrian rebels
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 17 September 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Belarusian, Moldovan women reportedly escape capture by Syrian rebels, 17 September 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/525e3fa314.html [accessed 18 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 17, 2013
By RFE/RL's Belarus Service
Corina Coltsa (left) of Moldova and Svyatlana Markiyanovich of Belarus said they were abducted by Syrian rebels.
Two women from Belarus and Moldova captured by Syrian rebels last month reportedly have escaped and are currently in "a safe place in Lebanon."
In August, a video circulated on the Internet showing two young women surrounded by armed and masked men.
One of the women said she was Corina Coltsa from Moldova. The other called herself Svyatlana Markiyanovich from Belarus.
The women said in the video that they were agents of Lebanon's Shi'ite movement Hizballah and came to Syria posing as journalists to collect information about the rebel Free Syrian Army.
Markiyanovich's aunt, Iryna Kanstantsinauna, told RFE/RL on September 17 that her niece told her by phone earlier the same day that they had managed to escape from captivity with the help of a local mosque and were moved to Lebanon from Syria about a week ago.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
