Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis
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The Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis involved four
Capture
On 26 November 2005, masked gunman stopped a car carrying 4 members of the CPTs (Christian Peacemaker Teams) and abducted them; the abduction took place in the university area of
The four CPTs had planned to visit the
The hostages were:
- Friends Meeting and Baltimore Yearly Meeting.[2]
- Norman Kember, 74, of Pinner, London, U.K., a retired professor of medical physics.[2]
- James Loney, 41, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, program coordinator for CPT Canada.[2]
- Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, a Canadian electrical engineer studying in New Zealand.[2]
The Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq
The hostages were members of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT's) Iraq project, which began working in 2002, before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Their goal is to document and publicize abuses of human rights occurring in the country, especially in relation to detainees, and to advocate for peaceful solutions to conflict.
During the crisis, CPT's Iraq team issued statements asking that the hostages be freed so they could continue their work.
A distinctive feature of this crisis was the victims' dedication to
have criticized the team's presence in Iraq.Throughout the crisis, CPT continued to campaign for Iraqi human rights, attempting to link support for their own workers to support for "thousands of Iraqis who are being detained illegally." CPT continues to hold that the "illegal
Major developments
Kidnappers' demands
The kidnappers called themselves the Swords of Righteousness Brigade, and published a video shown worldwide on November 29, 2005 by Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera, in which they claimed the hostages were spies.[2] They threatened to kill all hostages unless the US freed all Iraqi prisoners held in the US and Iraq by December 8, 2005. They later extended this deadline to December 10, 2005.
The complexity of the crisis deepened when Moazzam Begg and Abu Qatada, who was Osama bin Laden's so-called Ambassador in Europe joined in the appeals for Kember's release – but the appeals were ignored by the kidnappers.[4]
More than a month passed until the next word from the kidnappers. On January 28, 2006, Al Jazeera broadcast a video showing the four hostages alive, dated January 21, 2006. The captors stated that the U.S. and Britain had one last chance to free all Iraqi prisoners or the hostages would be killed.
One hostage found murdered
On March 10, 2006 the body of
Upon Fox's death the CPT released a statement of condolences, also asking that the world not "vilify or demonize others, no matter what they have done." They quoted Fox himself, saying, "We reject violence to punish anyone ... We forgive those who consider us their enemies."[8]
Military action & recovery of surviving hostages
Following their kidnapping;
In the early hours of 23 March 2006, as part of Operation Lightwater, the SAS carried out Operation Ney 3: their target was a house in Mishahda, 20 miles northwest of Baghdad, they found two men they were looking for, whom revealed under pressure during interrogation/tactical questioning the location of the hostages in western Baghdad. Wary of an ambush, the SAS telephoned the kidnappers moments before the SAS assault on the house and were warned to the kidnappers to leave their location. At 0800, B squadron SAS stormed the house, finding the kidnappers had abandoned the building and rescued the hostages, the hostages were ushered into a waiting
The Times reported that the SAS were supported by 'Task Force Maroon', a support unit made up of British paratroopers and marines.[12] Other sources include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the rescue effort.[13]
The three surviving hostages were in good medical condition. While captive, they had been allowed to exercise and Kember had received medication he needs.[14]
It was reported that the CPT had not cooperated with the SAS officials who coordinated the operation to recover the hostages. CPT co-director Doug Pritchard stated that they did not want a "military raid" to occur and preferred to work with diplomats.[15]
Aftermath
Charges of ingratitude towards military personnel
As they removed the hostages from the scene, the SAS soldiers found Kember hard to get any response from, one SAS soldier said "[He] was the most frustrating individual I have ever met in my life. From the point of lifting him he didn't address one word to us." In the UK, the story of that Kember had refused to thank his rescuers quickly gained currency, the soldier added that "the following day the Ambassador wheeled him over to our house [MSS Fernandez] and Kember finally said, if I remember his actual words, 'Thanks for saving my life'."[16]
CPT and the victims were criticized for their reluctance to thank the troops who freed them. Following the release of the hostages, CPT's initial statement omitted any expression of gratitude toward the soldiers involved, but issued such a statement 12 hours later, with their gratitude that no shots were fired during the mission.[citation needed] General Sir Mike Jackson, Commander of the British Army, told British Channel 4 news he was "saddened that there does not seem to have been a note of gratitude [from Mr. Kember] for the soldiers who risked their lives to save those lives".[17][18] James Loney and Norman Kember later publicly thanked the soldiers for rescuing them. Harmeet Sooden issued a statement thanking the soldiers for saving him as well.
Propaganda
Maj. Gen Rick Lynch, the briefer at Multi-National Force – Iraq Headquarters exploited Operation Lightwater success to counter stories from the previous months of Iraqi prisoner abuse, telling reporters that "the key point is it was intelligence-led. It was information provided by a detainee."[16]
Refusal to testify
On December 8, 2006, the three ex-hostages held a press conference at St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation, in London, to announce that they would not testify at the trial of their captors if there was a risk they will face execution. Under Iraqi law, kidnapping is currently punishable by the death penalty. Loney was quoted as saying, "We bear no malice towards them and have no wish for retribution."
Norman Kember said that if he did testify, it would likely be only to plea for clemency on behalf of their captors.[19]
Years later, the kidnappers were arrested by the
Books published on crisis
On March 23, 2007, one year after the release of the three hostages, Norman Kember published Hostage in Iraq.[20] Published by Darton Longman and Todd, it told the story of his captivity and included previously unseen drawings and notes made by Norman Kember, who during his captivity invented games with his fellow captives.
On June 5, 2008, Christian Peacemaker Teams published a collection of essays by those involved in the crisis including Kember, Sooden and Loney.[21] The book was initially self-published after two different religious publishing houses insisted on changes to a chapter written by Dan Hunt, Loney's same-sex partner.[22] The book is now available from Cascadia Publishing House.[23] It examines the events surrounding the captivity from multiple points of view, including CPT members who remained in Baghdad during the crisis; members working on other teams (Palestine, Colombia, the Chicago and Toronto offices); friends, supporters and family members of the hostages.
Timeline of the crisis
- November 26
- The hostages are abducted.
- November 29
- Al Jazeera broadcasts a video from "Swords of Righteousness Brigade" showing hostages and issuing demands.[2]
- December 3
- The Iraq Islamic Party, the main Sunni political party in Iraq, called for the release of the hostages.
- December 5
- An online petition calling for the release of the hostages was signed by more than 13000 people, including Noam Chomsky and Arundhati Roy.[24]
- December 6
- Another video was released, in which the hostages gave assurances that they were being well-treated. In the video, Sooden and Loney are shown unshackled and eating, while Fox and Kember appear handcuffed. Kember requests that Tony Blair withdraw all British troops from Iraq.
- On the same day, Nightlineto plead for his release.
- December 7
- An additional plea for the hostages' release was made by the radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada, from a British jail.[25]
- Later the same day, another video was released by the kidnappers, in which they extended the deadline for their demands to Saturday, December 10. This video featured only Fox and Kember, clad in orange jumpsuits reminiscent of those worn by detainees in photos from Guantanamo Bay. Some commentators, such as BBC correspondent Caroline Hawley, speculated that Loney and Sooden may have been treated differently than Fox and Kember, as the former two are both Canadians, and Canada did not support the 2003 invasion of Iraq. This speculation was based on the apparent differences in the treatment of the hostages in the second video (in which only Fox and Kember are shackled) and the third (in which only Fox and Kember appear).[26]
- December 9
- Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg called for the hostages' release, stating that the orange boiler suits worn by the hostages reminded him of his own imprisonment. Terry Waite also pleaded for Kember's release, however he added that he disputed the Christian Peacemakers' tactic of going into a "highly polarised" situation in Iraq.[27] The same day, a plea was made by Mohammed Mahdi Akef, president of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.[28]
- December 10
- The second deadline passed on the afternoon of December 10, with no information from the Brigade about the status of the hostages. Fox's daughter issued a statement saying that she and her father believe the Iraqi people have legitimate grievances about the U.S. occupation, but "these grievances, however, will not be resolved by taking my father's life." As well, prominent American antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan called for the hostages' release in a rally in London.[29]
- December 12
- Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor sent his regards and a message of support to a vigil being held in Trafalgar Square, saying that he too prayed for their release, and closed stating "I plead with their captors to have mercy, as God is merciful, and to release them."[30]
- December 16
- The Toronto Star reported that a confidential source has stated that an unnamed Iraqi hostage negotiator who had allegedly made contact with the kidnappers had himself been abducted.[31] Later that day, Ekklesia reported these claims were unfounded, and that there was no such negotiator.[32]
- December 25
- The families of the hostages placed advertisements in many Iraqi newspapers, repeating previous pleas by prominent Muslims for their release.
- January 4
- Christian Peacemaker Teams announced that some of its members would hold a public Lafayette Park outside the White House from January 6 to January 9, or until they were granted a meeting with President Bush.[33]
- January 7
- Tom Fox, using a headline emphasising the situation as ongoing.[34]
- January 28
- Al Jazeera broadcast a video dated January 21, showing the four hostages. The video appeared with a statement from the captors offering US authorities a "last chance" to "release all Iraqi prisoners in return of freeing the hostages otherwise their fate will be death."[35]
- February 20
- Newly appointed Canadian foreign-affairs minister Peter MacKay drew criticism after telling reporters he is confident the hostages will be released. He later apologized to the families of the hostages for his speculation, saying he had no new information.[36]
- March 7
- Al Jazeera broadcast a new video, dated to 28 February. It showed Kember, Loney, and Sooden talking into the camera, but it had no sound and contains no demands by the kidnappers. All three were shown alert and apparently well; Tom Fox was not shown. Rebecca Johnson, spokeswoman for CPT, stated that public speculation on the reasons for Fox's absence was "unhelpful".[37][38]
- March 10
- The Tom Fox was found in Iraq.[39]
- March 23
- News outlets reported at the time that the three remaining hostages are freed in a British-led operation by a multinational force consisting of American and British coalition forces as well as Iraqi forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and possibly Canadian military personnel.[40][41] The identity and extent of the Canadian military contribution and the nature of its participation, if any, are unknown. There were unconfirmed reports and speculation that elements of the Canadian special-operations unit Joint Task Force 2 were involved. It has been confirmed that the operation was led by SAS Troopers [42]Reports indicate that no kidnappers were present at the house where the hostages were found and no shots were fired during the operation.
- March 27
- Upon his return to Harmeet Sooden was warned by Prime Minister Helen Clark not to go back to Iraq saying; "The New Zealand Government constantly says to Kiwis 'Don't go there. You are walking into a war zone. It is a very, very dangerous place and New Zealand is not represented in Iraq in any shape or form and we are not in a position to help". There was also controversy about "chequebook journalism" on the part of state-owned TVNZ, which paid approximately 30,000NZD for Sooden's family to travel to the UAE to meet Sooden in exchange for their exclusive story.[43]
- December 8
- The three ex-hostages announced their disinclination to testify against their former captors if there was a chance the kidnappers might face the death penalty.
See also
- Foreign hostages in Iraq
- Captive, documentary series in which the Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis was featured.
References
- ISBN 978-1250006967, pp. 113–114
- ^ a b c d e f g Mathewson, Judy (November 30, 2005). "U.S. Christian Group Names Captives in Iraq, Blames U.S., U.K". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ International, C. P. T. (2006-03-23). "CPTers Freed". Community Peacemaker Teams. Archived from the original on 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ISBN 978-1250006967, pp. 114–115
- ^ "Iraqi police: U.S. hostage shot, tortured". CNN. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ CPTers Freed Archived March 25, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ denies Fox was tortured. March 2, 2006 London Free Press – National News[dead link]
- ^ 10 March 2006 CPT Release: We Mourn the Loss of Tom Fox Archived March 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 978-1250006967, pp. 122, 123, 127–128, 130
- ISBN 978-1250006967, pp. 129–130
- ^ ISBN 978-1472807908, p. 212
- ^ Meo, Nick; Evans, Michael; McGrory, Daniel (March 25, 2006). "Armys top general attacks Kember for failing to thank SAS rescue team". The Times. London. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ CTV.ca | Elite Canadian soldiers helped free hostages: CTV Archived June 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "AP-Iraq Hostages Freed". The New York Times.[dead link]
- ^ Leppard, David (March 26, 2006). "Kembers muted thanks fuels SAS rescue row". The Times. London. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 978-1250006967, p. 131
- ^ Steele, Jonathan (March 25, 2006). "Iraq hostages 'were saved by rift among kidnappers'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ^ Meo, Nick; Evans, Michael; McGrory, Daniel (March 25, 2006). "Armys top general attacks Kember for failing to thank SAS rescue team". The Times. London. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ We must take risks for peace, says Norman Kember Archived 2008-08-29 at the Wayback Machine, Ekklesia News Service, March 10, 2007
- ^ Christian Peacemaker Teams announces publication of "118 Days," book detailing Iraq hostage crisis Archived 2013-10-16 at the Wayback Machine, Christian Peacemaker Teams Press Release
- ^ "Cascadia Publishing House: 118 DAYS: Why We Self-Published". www.cascadiapublishinghouse.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ "Cascadia Publishing House Anabaptist and Mennonite Books". www.cascadiapublishinghouse.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
- ^ "Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy Among 13,000 to Sign Petition Calling for Release of Kidnapped Aid Workers". Democracy Now!. December 5, 2005. Archived from the original on December 13, 2005.
- ^ "Terror suspect's Iraq kidnap plea". BBC News. December 7, 2005. Archived from the original on March 3, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2005.
- ^ "Canadian hostages not shown in video". CBC News. December 8, 2005. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
- ^ "Ex-US detainee pleads for hostage". BBC News. December 9, 2005. Archived from the original on December 12, 2005. Retrieved December 13, 2005.
- ^ "Concern grows for Iraq hostages". BBC News. December 10, 2005. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2005.
- ^ "Deadline passes; no word on hostages". CNN. December 10, 2005. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2005.
- ^ "Cardinal joins pleas for Iraq peace workers". Ekklesia. December 12, 2005. Archived from the original on December 14, 2005. Retrieved December 13, 2005.
- ^ "Iraq hostage negotiator is missing, source says". Toronto Star. December 16, 2005. Archived from the original on July 14, 2006.
- ^ "Fears 'unfounded' about Iraq hostage negotiator". Ekklesia. December 16, 2005. Archived from the original on December 18, 2005. Retrieved December 17, 2005.
- ^ "Christian Peacemakers Fast, Wait For Meeting With President Bush". January 4, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-04-28.
- ^ "Christian volunteers still captive". Aljazeera. January 7, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-01-10.
- ^ "Kidnappers Threaten to Kill Four Hostages". Associated Press. January 28, 2006.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "MacKay apologizes for raising hopes of hostages' families". CBC News. February 22, 2006. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007.
- ^ "New hostage tape surfaces". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. March 7, 2006. [dead link]
- ^ "New Kember tape aired on Arab TV". BBC News. March 7, 2006. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2006.
- ^ "US hostage in Iraq confirmed dead". BBC News. March 11, 2006. Archived from the original on November 15, 2006. Retrieved March 11, 2006.
- ^ "British Iraq hostage Kember freed". BBC News. March 23, 2006. Archived from the original on June 23, 2006. Retrieved March 23, 2006.
- ^ "Military operation frees 2 Canadian hostages in Iraq". CBC News. March 23, 2006. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
- ^ "Mounties were there, but Ottawa mum on army role in Iraq rescue". CBC News. March 23, 2006. Archived from the original on May 23, 2007.
- ^ "New Zealand, world, sport, business & entertainment news on Stuff.co.nz: Don't go back, Clark warns Sooden". www.stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
External links
- Christian Peacemaker Teams
- Iraq Crisis resources
- CPT-ers Freed – statement on 2006 March 23
- Remembering Tom Fox
- Christian Peacemaker Teams News on Nonviolence.org – a regularly updated page with links to news and articles about the crisis.
- Free The Captives – petition for the release of Christian Peacemakers being held in Iraq – includes latest news and daily updates
- 'Brothers of hostage in Iraq describe "gut-wrenching" wait', CBC News, December 11, 2005
- 'Family waits as deadline passes in silence', The Globe and Mail, December 11, 2005