After about two months in captivity, three Romanian journalists are back on the soil of their home and native land.

An excerpt from the AP story posted on CTV.ca:

Reporter Marie Jeanne Ion and cameraman Sorin Miscoci, both of Prima TV, and Ovidiu Ohanesian, a reporter from the daily newspaper Romania Libera, were kidnapped in Baghdad on March 28 with their Iraqi-American guide, Mohammed Monaf.

The four were freed Sunday. The journalists flew Monday to Romania, where they were greeted by President Traian Basescu and hundreds of journalists and friends. Monaf remained in Iraq in U.S. custody, the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest said.

Their kidnappers had threatened to kill the hostages unless Romania pulled its 800 troops out of Iraq. Basescu refused, saying Romania would not negotiate its foreign policy with the kidnappers nor pay a ransom.

A video aired on Al-Jazeera TV showed the journalists in handcuffs with pistols pointed at their heads. Ion could be seen talking to the camera and clutching her hands as if pleading.

In a separate audio message, they asked Romania's government to save their lives.

In recent weeks, Romanian authorities said they were in contact with the kidnappers and called on them not to kill the hostages. The government gave no details about the conditions of their release.