Mauro Donato, an Italian photoreporter released on Thursday after 21 days in a Serbian jail, said on Friday that he had been in "a hell". "It's an experience I hope to never go through again," Donato told a press conference at the Rome offices of Italian journalists union FNSI. Donato was accused of robbery aggravated by the use of violence - charges he denies.
"I am glad to be here with you," added a visibly moved Donato, who was in Serbia working on a piece on the condition of migrants with a colleague.
"Thanks to all of you who made an effort for me. "I felt a profound sense of alienation in prison.
"You don't know what's happening outside, who is working for you. "I didn't even know why I was in jail. They made me sign a Cyrillic-alphabet statement and they arrested him". Donato's lawyer Alessandra Ballerini said she was still working on the case as, although the reporter has been released, the Serbian investigation has not been closed.
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