Freed Aussie lawyer thanks government, media

6 Jul 2012, 9:23 pm   -   Source: SBS/AAP
(AAP)

(AAP)

Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor has spoken publicly for the first time since her release from captivity in Libya, thanking the government for working to secure her release.

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Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor has spoken publicly for the first time since her release from captivity in Libya, thanking the government for working to secure her release.

"I'm incredibly blessed to have a network of family and friends, who rallied together to create a network of support for myself, and my husband and daughter. I'm also very thankful to the Australian media, for maintaining focus on my detention in Libya, notwithstanding the geographic distance between these countries, and to the Australian public for their support for me and my parents back in Brisbane," she said in a press conference.

Ms Taylor, who was held in the Libyan town of Zintan since June 7, was released to Australian ambassador David Ritche at 1am (AEST) on Tuesday.

She travelled to The Hague and was reunited with her husband Geoff and daughter Yasmina later on Tuesday.

Ms Taylor was one of four International Criminal Court (ICC) officials detained on June 7 while helping to prepare the legal defence of Saif al-Islam, the son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

She was accused of carrying a pen camera and attempting to give Saif a coded letter from his former right-hand man, Mohammed Ismail, one of Libya's most wanted men.

The detention - despite the legal team's diplomatic immunity - sparked weeks of intensive negotiations between Australia, Libya and the ICC.

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