Back from the Edge (Cont.)

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Outside Magazine June 2003

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Back from the Edge (Cont.)

THE MORE SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST the Americans—that they lied about their escape—grew out of the confusion surrounding Sharipov's reappearance and his conflicting statements following his capture. Sharipov told journalists and FBI agents—who'd traveled to Kyrgyzstan to investigate—that the Americans had somehow drugged his water and escaped when he fell asleep. In spring 2001, Smith, Dickey, and I went to the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, to meet with Sharipov in his prison cell. At the meeting, Sharipov recognized his former captives and started to revise his version of events, speaking clearly about falling and being knocked unconscious.

Meanwhile, Dateline, the NBC news program, started its own investigation. In May and June 2001,

"The gear was a hot topic all over—the locals thought the bags would be stuffed with American dollars."

Sharipov was tried and sentenced to death for terrorism and taking hostages. At the end of the trial, Irena Balakina, Dateline's Kyrgyzstan-based stringer, was permitted to tape a courtroom interview. When asked by Balakina if he'd been pushed or had fallen asleep, he answered, "They pushed me." It was an unambiguous, independent confirmation that the climbers had told the truth, and it dealt a stunning blow to their critics.

Although Dateline secured this interview ten months before the publication of Over the Edge, Sharipov's admission was kept secret until the show's broadcast in April 2002, after the book came out. This preserved Dateline's news scoop, but it also prolonged the skepticism surrounding the Americans' story.

Remarkably, despite the new evidence and the independent corroboration by Dateline, Bouchard, a retired climber turned writer with whom the former hostages have never agreed to an interview, and Prichard, a publicist and freelance writer, continue to question the climbers' story. According to a recent article in Sports Illustrated, Bouchard and Prichard said that their forthcoming book, a project they've spent more than $30,000 of their own funds researching, will expose exaggerations and half-truths in the kidnapping saga. Bouchard conceded that "there is no question [the hostages] went through a horrible experience," but maintained that their tale still contains "too many discrepancies."

These days, the remaining members of the IMU are in hiding; Sharipov remains on death row; and the former captives have more or less put the ordeal behind them. But is it really safe for climbers and trekkers to return to Kyrgyzstan? The organizers of the Raid Gauloises think so—the 12th running of the adventure race will be held there starting June 10. (The exact location had not been disclosed at press time.) Still, geopolitical instability remains a serious concern. Though visitors to Kyrgyzstan may be emboldened by the 1,500 or so U.S. military personnel sent in 2002 to Bishkek, a four-day drive from the Karavshin, there are no guarantees that Islamic guerrillas, rumored to be regrouping in Afghanistan and attempting to infiltrate Tajikistan, won't turn up in the Karavshin again.

"There is little protection if Tajiks and Uzbeks want to kidnap more tourists," warns Willis. "As soon as people return in numbers, there will probably be more troubles."

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