A video has been released on YouTube, showing the seven Estonians taken hostage in Lebanon.
"Please do anything to help us to get back home and please give what we ask you. Please make everything to make us get back home to our families as soon as possible," said one of the hostages, appealing to the Lebanese Prime Minister, the kings of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and the President of France.
Apparently forced to speak on the video, each of the seven Estonians makes a plea for help. The hostage takers do not make an appearance or speak in the clip.
The video was posted by the user "thekidnapper2011" and has so far been viewed from around 300 computers.
The kidnappers had asked for a ransom in a previous email, but have still not stated the terms of release or the amount of the ransom.
A link to the video was sent to the Foreign Ministry last night.
ERR News has opted not to post a link to the video, as is our belief that participating in the dissemination of the video serves the kidnappers and violates the rights and dignity of the abductees, who were not given a choice in whether they would appear.
All of the hostages are present in the video, but it is not known when it was filmed. Nor is it clear whether the abduction is political. "Why those specific heads of state were named is not known," said Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, who was in Lebanon yesterday and is visiting the United Arab Emirates today.
NATO, the EU and several Middle East countries are working together in the investigations. "We will analyze both the substance and infotechnological footprint," Paet told uudised.err.ee.
Almost a month has passed since the Estonian tourists were abducted in Lebanon while on a cycling trip.
Ott Tammik
