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Arjan Erkel reflects on hostage experience with OneMBA students
4/03/06

Rotterdam, NL - As part of the international residency for the Global Executive OneMBA cohort, RSM introduced students to Arjan Erkel, the well-known Dutchman who was kidnapped in Dagestan in 2002. Arjan joined students to reflect on his experience being captured and held hostage by Islamic Extremists in and around Dagestan for almost two years.

Arjan was kidnapped at gun point in Dagestan while working as a country director for Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) or “Doctors without Borders”. Arjan was snatched off the street, beaten and bundled into a car. Fearing for his life, he was shunted from place to place for days, before being handed to Chechen rebels. He was told he was being held for money and that his imprisonment would only last two months. Two months came and went, however, with no sign of his release. It became clear to Arjan that he was in for a long haul.

Although not beaten or tortured, Arjan was confined to a tiny room with just a candle for light. He lived with the fear of knowing his family and friends knew nothing of his fate and that he could be killed at any time. He frequently discussed his own death with his captors and at one point, the lowest during his captivity, he saw the men “digging a hole in the garden that looked very much like a grave”.

Arjan survived by taking an anthropological view toward his own captivity. He passed the time and worked on his own survival by attempting to connect to his captors, even giving them nicknames like the “Cook”, the “Professor” and “Mr. Tank”. However, he had to very careful not to be too friendly, lest he be accused of being a Russian spy.

After 18 months and sporadic negotiation attempts, the MSF moved the negotiation into a higher gear by accusing the Russian secret service and Dagestani authorities of having a role in his kidnapping. After the payment of an undisclosed sum, Arjan was moved to another location and a heavy set man with dark glasses said; “you are free and you can go now.”

Whisked back to Moscow and then onto the Netherlands, Arjan found himself an instant celebrity and a household name in Holland. Adjusting to the fact that he was a free man was a struggle. Being confined and controlled for almost two years had taken its toll. The initial struggle to adjust back to freedom was highlighted by the fact that he did not have to ask permission to have something as mundane as a drink of water. However, Ajran has chosen not to be a victim of his experience, and has been using his recognition to promote a positive outlook.

Arjan says that looking forward and adopting an entrepreneurial view after this experience helped him to push on into the future. His story helped to portray a personal view on critical events, and demonstrates the power of positive thinking. And would he go back to Dagestan? “Maybe” he says.