In a March interview with Hostage Aid, Australian former wrongful detainee Sean Turnell reflected on the complexities of life after his release from imprisonment in Myanmar. He described the initial joy of returning home and reconnecting with loved ones, while acknowledging that the process of recovery evolves over time, with deeper fears and insecurities emerging in later years. Turnell credited the unwavering support of family, friends, and even strangers, as well as a strong sense of purpose in advocating for Myanmar’s freedom, for helping him endure both captivity and reintegration. He emphasized the importance of maintaining hope, telling one’s story, and staying engaged in meaningful work, while noting that the effects of detention can linger long after release.

How are you adjusting to being back home? Many people assume coming home is the end of the struggle. What can you clarify about this misconception?

I am adjusting quite well I think. Easiest of all was the first year back (I have been home 3 years now). The joy of release, return, reunion, saying thank you to family and friends, having a story to tell and people eager to hear it, taking the opportunity to tell the truth and so push back on my captors, lapping up the kindness of strangers… Year 2 was likewise good, since I spent it writing a book on my experiences and then another one. Lancing the wounds through these, and again feeling fulfillment and direction. Now it’s year 3. Still feeling great motivation in fighting alongside my Burmese friends against the regime that enslaves Myanmar (and for two years imprisoned me). At the same time, I notice some insecurities and hitherto hidden fears creeping in. (Myanmar’s military regime has re-imposed their absurd espionage charges against me since my return to Australia, seemingly in retaliation to my speaking out against them. This has undermined my freedom to travel, and instilled in me a realisation I may never be entirely free of their clutches). Time heals all wounds supposedly, but it also allows happy distractions to recede, and for scar tissue to set in.

My experience tells me then that the nature of the return matters a lot in the struggle to recover. I have been very fortunate in getting what I needed, but even with this, shadows loom. Had I not been made so welcome upon my return, my family so loving, had I not had the opportunity to ‘tell my story’, or to have an issue to throw myself into, I’m not sure I would have been able to adjust so well.  

Was there anything you felt your family or friends should have done differently while you were captive?

My family and friends went way beyond the call of duty, and way beyond what even love and devotion could normally inspire. In short, I don’t believe there is anything they should have done differently. Of course, so many decisions they had to make were difficult calls amidst little information. So always different decisions could have been made. I think in my case the correct ones were made throughout. On this issue though I think policy towards the media and publicity is the most problematic. Governments tend to go for silence in favour of what they often call ‘quiet diplomacy’ in international hostage crises. My own feeling is that usually maximum publicity accords better protection for the hostage, and maintains pressure on all the parties for a solution.

Looking back, what helped you get through the toughest moments of your captivity? And what helps you get through the toughest moments after your return?

Knowing that I had the love and support of family and friends, as well as the concern of so many people in Australia and around the world. Also, understanding that my cause was just and moral was incredibly important. I am a keen student of history, and I remained certain throughout my imprisonment that I was on the ‘right side’ of the struggle (in Myanmar and beyond) between tyranny and freedom. Posterity as well as the opinion of people I cared about in the present would be kind to me. 

In a practical sense, the ability to read was critical. Books were sent to me via the Australian Embassy, and it was one concession the Myanmar military junta allowed me. Notwithstanding the more lofty notions I mentioned above, could I have survived without the books? I’m not sure.

Since returning, all these things continue to help me survive. The love and care of family and friends, my involvement in Myanmar’s struggle for freedom. The Myanmar people are the bravest and most generous I know. Any way I can help them helps me too.  

Did your challenging ordeal change the way you see life or your priorities? How?

Not really. I have always regarded freedom (in just about all its forms) as the human right that allows all the others. I feel this more strongly now, but it was always the bedrock of my beliefs. So, campaigning for freedom is my central organising principle, and the way I approach things. 

Probably I am a little more liberated now to do purely what I think is right rather than what is expected, but I would not want to exaggerate this too much. 

How did the support of family, friends, or even strangers impact your reintegration?

Mightily. I guess this might be expected from family and friends (though, of course, I understand this is not always the case), but the kindness of strangers was a surprise and a delight. It has been easy as a consequence, and notwithstanding the brutality dished out to me at times in the prison in Myanmar, to come away from everything with a very positive outlook on the decency and kindness of most people.

How do you evaluate the efforts made by your government during your captivity, and how did their actions affect you or your family? What did you find most helpful or lacking?

While imprisoned I did not know the full picture of what the Australian Government was doing to secure my release, or how they were helping my family. As with all human enterprises, their performance was mixed, but on the whole was very positive. This was especially so whenever individual initiative was allowed – less so when bureaucratic procedures got in the way. My wife, my sister, and my dad had to push the Government hard, but they mostly encountered people anxious to do the right thing. In terms of what was lacking, uppermost were occasions in which information was not shared quickly enough, sometimes as a consequence of excessive ‘privacy’ concerns. I would have waived all and any of these had I known of them.

As a former hostage or wrongful detainee, what did you need most at that time to continue healing and moving forward?

The care and attention of family and friends was far and away the most important factor in my healing. Re-entering the world of love and kindness will always be difficult when you have shielded yourself against harshness and constant threat. Their understanding that you might take time to let these guards down is very important. Such understanding can be intuitive I think, but not always – which underlines the need for professional help to be available not just to returnees, but their loved ones as well.

Were there new goals, passions, or projects you were inspired to pursue since your return?

As I have mentioned already, the continuation of my support for Myanmar’s freedom struggle has been central in inspiring me and giving me direction. It has placed my experience in a context, in a narrative that is much bigger than me. That, above all.

I have also been inspired to write. As an academic I wrote books, but they were works for a very limited, specialist audience. My imprisonment allowed me to write a book (‘An Unlikely Prisoner’) for a broad audience, and I found the process liberating. I have continued to write since, and imagine it will now be forever part of my life.

Finally, I have been greatly inspired by my meeting with other international hostages, of which there are unfortunately a growing number. Here in Australia a group of us have launched the ‘Australian Wrongfully and Arbitrary Detention Alliance (AWADA)’ to help future victims and their families. Frankly, I am in awe of the other founders of AWADA. They are mostly women, and their example inspires me daily.

When you reflect on your journey, what keeps you hopeful, and what message would you like to share with other hostages about resilience and moving forward?

Grasp and hold in the core of your being that incredible feeling of joy at the moment you realised you were truly free. There will be all sorts of setbacks ahead, and the ‘real world’ will envelope you all too quickly, but if you have that moment stored away, always there for ready recall, you will find a shield. 

Beyond the self, what keeps me hopeful is that understanding that most people in our world are decent and generous, and will respond to you with kindness when given the chance. I try to do the same. Sometimes, too often, I fail. But the trying is what we can do.