The Government did not pay any ransom for the release of kidnapped aid worker Gena Heraty, officials have said.
Ms Heraty, a missionary who is director of the Sainte-Hélène orphanage run by Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs (NPFS, Our Little Brothers and Sisters) in Kenscoff, was taken with seven others, including a three-year-old child, at the start of August, about 10km outside Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
She was released on Friday along with her fellow captives and remains in hospital. It is understood Ms Heraty is suffering from malnutrition but is in good health otherwise.
The kidnappers, who are associated with a powerful criminal gang which has taken control of much of the country, demanded a large ransom in return for the group’s release.
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They also used Ms Heraty’s phone and social media accounts to contact her friends and family to make ransom demands. Ms Heraty’s associates received advice not to answer the calls and to block her number.
Government officials, including diplomats in Washington DC, were advising the charity and Ms Heraty’s family. Gardaí specialising in negotiating tactics also provided advice, but did not take a direct role in the operation.
Officials also requested that the media limit its reporting on Ms Heraty’s case, fearing that additional publicity would drive up the ransom demands.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials said the Government did not pay any money to the kidnappers. It is unknown whether a ransom was paid from another source.
It is official policy not to pay ransom for kidnapped Irish citizens, to deter future abductions.
Ms Heraty will remain in hospital for at least several days. It is unclear whether she plans to return to the Republic.
The Co Mayo woman, who has lived in Haiti since 1993, oversees the running of the Sainte-Hélène orphanage and is the co-ordinator of its special needs programme.
It is believed she was abducted by criminals associated with the Viv Ansanm gang, which controls large parts of the country.
The group has come under increasing international pressure in recent weeks, including from the United States, which announced criminal charges against its leader, Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue.
Washington has offered a reward of up to $5 million (€4.3m) for information leading to his arrest. In response, Cherizier has offered to negotiate with US authorities.
“We are relieved beyond words. We are so deeply grateful to everyone, in Haiti and internationally, who has worked tirelessly over these terrible weeks to help secure their safe return,” said the Heraty family.
They thanked Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris and officials at his department as well as Irish Ambassador in Washington Geraldine Byrne Nason for their assistance.
“The global outpouring of concern, love, prayers, and solidarity ... has been a huge source of comfort and support.”
