Darkness does weird things to you. Vincent Cochetel

Description

Vincent Cochetel has worked for the UNHCR for over 30 years. He spent the first part of his career listening to the horror stories of other people but then his own life became a nightmare. In 1998 when he was working in the Caucasus in southern Russia he was kidnapped and held hostage for 317 days. During Vincent’s captivity he was made to record several ransom demands. “[I was] handcuffed to a metallic cable that he’s tied to a bed so that gives me little margin of movement around the bed on one side of the bed. Enough to make for four footstep and you get used to that. It was dark. Darkness was more difficult to cope with than limited freedom of movement. Darkness is something that is oppressive.” What does it take to be a humanitarian worker in some of the world’s most difficult and dangerous locations? To find out, Melissa Fleming meets them. Search for Awake At Night wherever you listen to podcasts, and subscribe to hear it first. http://www.unhcr.org/awakeatnight/ Information for media: If you would like to use this video to communicate refugee stories or require B-Roll, transcripts, stills or much more information, please contact hqvideo@unhcr.org. --- Keep up to date with our latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/unhcr?sub_confirmation=1 -- UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, works to protect and assist those fleeing war and persecution. Since 1950, we have helped tens of millions of people find safety and rebuild their lives. With your support, we can restore hope for many more. Read more at http://UNHCR.org Support our work with refugees now by subscribing to this channel, liking this video and sharing it with your friends and contacts. Thanks so much for your help.

Metadata

Published to Youtube on: 07/09/2018

Archived on: 12/03/2025

Original URL (may no longer be available): https://youtube.com/watch?v=uXnBeT2FQ5Y