'Last chance' for (4) Iraq hostages

[muriel_volestrangler]

The group holding Briton Norman Kember in Iraq has issued a "last chance" call for its demands to be met, according to a video shown on al-Jazeera television.

Peace activist Mr Kember is being held along with three other westerners by the group, which is demanding the release of Iraqi prisoners.

It says the four hostages will be killed if its demands are not met.

Mr Kember, 74, of Pinner, north London, was seized along with two Canadians and an American in Baghdad on 26 November.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4657626.stm

[undeterred]

1. 'Last chance' for Iraq hostages

Saturday 28 January 2006, 16:24 Makka Time, 13:24 GMT

Kidnappers holding four Western peace activists hostage in Iraq have said they are giving US-led forces one final chance to free Iraqi prisoners or they would kill their hostages.

In a new video shown by Aljazeera on Saturday and dated 21 January, the four hostages were shown standing against a wall in an unknown location. The four - two Canadians, one Briton and one American - appeared to be speaking to the camera but their voices could not be heard.

A statement received along with the tape and read on air said the kidnappers were giving a "last chance" for US and Iraqi authorities to "release all Iraqi prisoners in return of freeing the hostages otherwise their fate will be death".

Briton Norman Kember, American Tom Fox and Canadians James Loney and Harmeet Sooden were kidnapped on 26 November in Baghdad, where they were working with a Christian peace organization.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/35E4AE6B-D141-444C-848A-D1569D94C987.htm

[CBHagman]

2. Iraqi Abductors Threaten 4 Peace Activists.

"The kidnappers of four Christian peace activists threatened to kill them unless all Iraqi prisoners are released from Iraqi and U.S. prisons, according to a new tape broadcast Saturday.

"Al-Jazeera TV aired a tape dated Jan. 21 showing the four workers - two Canadians, an American and a Briton - from the Chicago-based Christian Peacemaker Teams, who disappeared Nov. 26. The previously unknown Swords of Righteous Bridges claimed responsibility for kidnapping them.

"The news reader said the group issued a statement with the tape saying it was the 'last chance' for U.S. and Iraqi authorities to 'release all Iraqi prisoners in return of freeing the hostages, otherwise their fate will be death.'

"No deadline was set.

"Canadian hostages James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32; Tom Fox, 54, of Clear Brook, Va., and Norman Kember, 74, of London, had been warned repeatedly by Iraqi and Western security officials before being abducted that they were taking a grave risk by moving around Baghdad without bodyguards."

(SNIP)

"Christian Peacemaker Teams has been working in Iraq since October 2002, investigating allegations of abuse against Iraqi detainees by American and Iraqi forces. Its teams host human rights conferences in conflict zones, promoting peaceful solutions."

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0001/20060128/0847596584.htm&ewp=ewp_news_1205iraq_hostages&floc=NW_1-T

A personal note: I have been checking the BBC website each day for news of these men, and apparently this is the first real news since December, when a deadline had been set for the men's execution by the group holding them.

[rucky]

3. Maybe the US/British military intelligence operatives...

who kidnapped them are having second thoughts about killing the activists.

[Spazito]

4. Thanks for this! I, too, was wondering what had happened since

the last deadline had passed and there was nothing after. I am glad they are still alive and hope they will be home soon.

[CBHagman]

6. The only "news" I'd read recently was that...

...there had been no news of the men since the deadline passed in December. The BBC had an article or two about public pleas for the men's release, including Norman Kember's wife's request that her husband be set free. Muslim leaders have also spoken out on behalf of the four hostages.

[Wind Dancer]

5. Delete!

Sorry, I meant to reply to OP.

[CBHagman]

8. Thanks for the link to the petition.

Many of us have been anxiously awaiting word of the four hostages -- indeed, all being held hostage.

[Wind Dancer]

7. Help!

An Urgent Appeal: Please Release Our Friends in Iraq

Four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams were taken this past Saturday, November 26, in Baghdad, Iraq. They are not spies, nor do they work in the service of any government. They are people who have dedicated their lives to fighting against war and have clearly and publicly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq. They are people of faith, but they are not missionaries. They have deep respect for the Islamic faith and for the right of Iraqis to self-determination.

C.P.T. first came to Iraq in October 2002 to oppose the US invasion, and it has remained in the country throughout the occupation in solidarity with the Iraqi people. The group has been invaluable in alerting the world to many of the horrors facing Iraqis detained in US-run prisons and detention centers. C.P.T. was among the first to document the torture occurring at the Abu Ghraib prison, long before the story broke in the mainstream press. Its members have spent countless hours interviewing Iraqis about abuse and torture suffered at the hands of US forces and have disseminated this information internationally.

Each of the four C.P.T. members being held in Iraq has dedicated his life to resisting the darkness and misery of war and occupation. Convinced that it is not enough to oppose the war from the safety of their homes, they made the difficult decision to go to Iraq, knowing that the climate of mistrust created by foreign occupation meant that they could be mistaken for spies or missionaries. They went there with a simple purpose: to bear witness to injustice and to embody a different kind of relationship between cultures and faiths. Members of C.P.T. willingly undertook the risks of living among Iraqis, in a common neighborhood outside of the infamous Green Zone. They sought no protection from weapons or armed guards, trusting in, and benefiting from, the goodwill of the Iraqi people. Acts of kindness and hospitality from Iraqis were innumerable and ensured the C.P.T. members’ safety and wellbeing. We believe that spirit will prevail in the current situation.

We appeal to those holding these activists to release them unharmed so that they may continue their vital work as witnesses and peacemakers.

www.petitionspot.com/petitions/freethecpt


Faithful America http://ga3.org/campaign/releasehostages/explanation


Prayer Vigils and Demonstrations: http://www.cpt.org/iraq/response/PrayerVigils.php

[Straight Shooter]

9. Sadly, the execution of hostages no longer has an effect on the war.

Agony for the hostages, devastating to their families and friends, outrageous to those who care and follow the situation, but, in the overall scope of things, the defiant lawlessness which is displayed by killing hostages is akin to spitting into a raging thunderstorm. No effect. :(

[CBHagman]

10. I'm not sure how to take your post.

"Sadly, the execution of hostages no longer has an effect on the war."

On the contrary, it very much has an effect. It continues the needless loss of life, whatever the motivation is for picking up the gun, dropping the bomb, and regardless of who does the killing.

[Straight Shooter]

11. Take it in the spirit in which I offered it.

A sad cynicism that the loss of life does not seem to influence those with the power to do so to halt the further loss of life. :(

[ECH1969]

12. Are you saying that you hope that the executions hurt US support

for the war?

[Straight Shooter]

13. I hope you don't get that interpretation from my statement.

I offer no opinion whatsoever on executions affecting the support of the war or nonsupport of the war. I certainly do believe at this time, however, that Americans (if not other countries' citizens) have become numb to the effect of executions by insurgents (or Psyops, whoever is behind it).

I certainly under no circumstances would advocate executions as a tool to erode support for the war. If someone drinks the war Kool-Ade, they need to come to their own understanding and education that the war is wrong, without more horror on top of the senseless killing already going on.