American and six Ukrainians released by India after six months in jail

Matthew VanDyke and six Ukrainians were accused of smuggling weapons and drones to armed ethnic groups fighting India.

The New Delhi Police restricts traffic movement on September 06, 2023 in New Delhi, India. [Elke Scholiers/Getty Images]

Matthew VanDyke, a United States citizen held in India for more than six months and accused of supporting ethnic separatist groups, has been temporarily released on bail and returned to the US.

The 47-year-old arrived on Saturday morning and reunited with his family, according to a family spokesperson.

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VanDyke, who runs a Washington, DC-based consultancy that says it provides “free security consulting, training, supplies and other services to vulnerable populations”, was detained in March by Indian authorities, along with six Ukrainian nationals who were also released on Saturday.

India’s main opposition Congress party said that, despite being “accused of plotting terrorist acts”, VanDyke was allowed to return home from New Delhi.

“Obviously US pressure determined this outcome, but what did India get in return?” Jairam Ramesh, a legislator and spokesperson for the party, posted on X.

VanDyke’s family told Al Jazeera before his release that his health was failing and he had lost weight after going on a month-long hunger strike in Tihar Jail to try to improve conditions in prison. He had to use a wheelchair to attend hearings, according to his mother, Sharon. VanDyke denied the accusations against him, and his family said he was in the region documenting the situation faced by minority ethnic groups.

Matthew VanDyke, who spent months in Libyan prisons before joining rebel forces who opposed dictator Moammar Gadhafi, speaks with reporters after his flight arrived at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Saturday, November 5, 2011. [Patrick Semansky/Reuters]

Earlier this month, Indian prosecutors declined to bring terrorism charges against VanDyke and the others. Instead, prosecutors formally accused them of visa violations for entering restricted areas along the Myanmar border.

The Maryland native is a former filmmaker and rebel fighter during the Arab Spring and spent about six months in a Libyan prison during the Muammar Gaddafi regime. He was held alongside James Foley, a journalist who was later killed by ISIL in Syria. In recent years, VanDyke was based in Ukraine, where his consultancy helped train Ukrainian military forces.

In a statement to Al Jazeera before VanDyke’s release, James Foley’s mother, Diane, who now heads a foundation named after him, said she was “deeply saddened by his arrest in India and by his apparent poor health.” She added that her foundation called for “his release on humanitarian grounds.”

马修·范戴克和六名乌克兰人被指控向与印度作战的武装民族团体走私武器和无人机。

2023年9月6日，印度新德里警方限制交通通行。[Elke Scholiers/Getty Images]

美国公民马修·范戴克被印度拘留超过六个月，并被指控支持民族分裂团体，现已获得保释并返回美国。

据一位家庭发言人称，这位47岁的男子于周六早上抵达，并与家人团聚。

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列表 2/3：为什么印度依据“反恐”法逮捕美国和乌克兰公民？

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范戴克在华盛顿特区经营一家咨询公司，该公司声称向弱势群体提供免费的安全咨询、培训、物资和其他服务。今年 3 月，他与 6 名乌克兰国民一起被印度当局拘留，这 6 名乌克兰国民也于上周六获释。

印度主要反对党国大党表示，尽管范戴克“被指控策划恐怖主义行为”，但还是被允许从新德里返回家乡。

“显然，美国的压力决定了这一结果，但印度从中得到了什么回报？”该党议员兼发言人贾伊拉姆·拉梅什在X网站上发帖说道。

范戴克获释前，他的家人告诉半岛电视台，他健康状况恶化，体重也大幅下降。此前，他曾在提哈尔监狱绝食一个月，试图改善狱中条件。据他的母亲莎伦说，他不得不坐轮椅去参加听证会。范戴克否认了对他的指控，他的家人表示，他当时在该地区是为了记录少数族裔群体所面临的困境。

马修·范戴克曾在利比亚监狱服刑数月，之后加入反对独裁者穆阿迈尔·卡扎菲的叛军。2011年11月5日星期六，他的航班抵达巴尔的摩-华盛顿国际机场后，他接受了记者的采访。[帕特里克·塞曼斯基/路透社]

本月初，印度检方拒绝以恐怖主义罪名起诉范戴克等人。相反，检方正式指控他们违反签证规定，擅自进入缅甸边境的限制区域。

这位马里兰州人曾是一名电影制作人，也是阿拉伯之春期间的叛军战士，在穆阿迈尔·卡扎菲政权统治时期，他曾在利比亚监狱被关押约六个月。他与记者詹姆斯·福利一同被关押，福利后来在叙利亚被“伊斯兰国”杀害。近年来，范戴克定居乌克兰，他的咨询公司帮助训练乌克兰军队。

在范戴克获释前，詹姆斯·福利的母亲黛安·福利（她现在领导着一个以他名字命名的基金会）向半岛电视台发表声明称，她“对儿子在印度被捕以及他显然健康状况不佳深感悲痛”。她补充说，她的基金会呼吁“出于人道主义考虑释放他”。