2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis
Encyclopedia
The Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis involved four human rights
workers of Christian Peacemaker Teams
(CPT) who were held hostage in Iraq
from November 26, 2005 by the Swords of Righteousness Brigade
. One hostage, Tom Fox
, was killed, and the remaining three rescued on March 23, 2006.
Of these, one of the team members, Tom Fox
, was found dead on March 9 in Baghdad
, while the remaining three were rescued on March 23 by a multinational military force
led by the British SAS
.
. 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.
. CPT
condemned the actions of the kidnappers, but maintained pacifist principles by refusing to call for any violent rescue effort. The kidnappings led to widespread sympathy and support, with calls for their release coming from diverse Muslim
, Christian
and secular groups in the West
and Middle East
. However, supporters of the Iraq War have criticized the team's presence in Iraq.
Throughout the crisis, CPT has 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 occupation of Iraq...is the root cause of the insecurity that led to this kidnapping".
, an influential group of Sunni
religious leaders formed in 2003 after the collapse of the former regime. They were about 100 metres from the entrance to the mosque where the meeting was to take place when they were abducted. Their driver and translator were not taken.
, and published a video shown worldwide on 29 November by Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera
, in which they claimed the hostages were spies. 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.
More than a month passed until the next word from the kidnappers. On January 28, 2006, Al Jazeera
broadcasted a video showing the four hostages alive, dated January 21. The captors stated that the U.S. and Britain had one last chance to free all Iraqi prisoners or the hostages would be killed.
reported that Iraqi policemen claimed Fox's body showed signs of torture. This report was widely repeated in other media outlets, although no further sources were named. This initial report has been challenged by CPT who claim that members of the group saw no evidence of torture upon viewing the body at a stateside funeral home and on examination of Fox's face and hands immediately after the body was recovered. CPT claims that two independent sources who examined the body more closely also found no evidence of torture. A member of the group added that he believed claims of torture "further demonize the other side." The results of an independent autopsy have not been made public.
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."
The rescue force was led by elements of 'Task Force Black' - the UK element from the joint special operations task group known as Task Force 88 (anti-terrorist unit)
that consisted of British SAS
, and US Tier One Special Forces units. They were supported by 'Task Force Maroon', a support unit made up of British paratroopers and marines
. Joint Task Force 2
, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and Canadian Security Intelligence Service
were also involved.
The three surviving hostages were in good medical condition. While captive, they had been allowed to exercise and Kember had received medication he needs.
It was reported that the CPT had not cooperated with the SAS
officials who coordinated the rescue. CPT co-director Doug Pritchard stated that they did not want a "military raid" to occur and preferred to work with diplomats.
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". 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.
, 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."
The ex-hostages also said that if they did testify, it would likely be only to plea for clemency on behalf of their captors.
On June 5, 2008, Christian Peacemaker Teams published a collection of essays by those involved in the crisis including Kember, Sooden and Loney. 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. The book is now available from Cascadia Publishing House. It examines the events surrounding the captivity from multiple points of view, including CPTers who remained in Baghdad during the crisis; CPTers working on other teams (Palestine, Colombia, the Chicago and Toronto offices); friends, supporters and family members of the hostages.
Knopf Canada will publish a book written by James Loney in the spring of 2011.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
workers of Christian Peacemaker Teams
Christian Peacemaker Teams
Christian Peacemaker Teams is an international organization set up to support teams of peace workers in conflict areas around the world. These teams believe that they can lower the levels of violence through nonviolent direct action, human rights documentation, and nonviolence training. CPT sums...
(CPT) who were held hostage in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
from November 26, 2005 by the Swords of Righteousness Brigade
Swords of Righteousness Brigade
The Swords of Righteousness Brigade is a terrorist group who kidnapped four Western peace activists in Iraq on 26 November 2005, murdered one, and held the remaining three hostage until March 22, 2006, when coalition forces raided the place where the hostages were held...
. One hostage, Tom Fox
Tom Fox (activist)
Thomas William "Tom" Fox was an American Quaker peace activist, affiliated with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. He was kidnapped on November 26, 2005 in Baghdad along with three other CPT activists, leading to the 2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis...
, was killed, and the remaining three rescued on March 23, 2006.
The hostages
- Tom FoxTom Fox (activist)Thomas William "Tom" Fox was an American Quaker peace activist, affiliated with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. He was kidnapped on November 26, 2005 in Baghdad along with three other CPT activists, leading to the 2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis...
, 54, of Clearbrook, Virginia, U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a leader of youth programs at Langley Hill Friends Meeting and Baltimore Yearly MeetingBaltimore Yearly MeetingBaltimore Yearly Meeting is a body of the Religious Society of Friends headquartered in Sandy Spring, Maryland that includes Friends from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. It was the first Yearly Meeting founded in North America, meeting in May 1672... - Norman KemberNorman KemberNorman Frank Kember is an Emeritus Professor of biophysics at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry and a Christian pacifist active in campaigning on issues of war and peace. As a Baptist, a long-standing member of the Baptist Peace Fellowship and the Fellowship of Reconciliation...
, 74, of PinnerPinner- Climate :Pinner's geographical position on the far western side of North West London makes it the furthest London suburb from any UK coastline. Hence the lower prevalence of moderating maritime influences make Pinner noticeably warmer in the spring and the summer compared to the rest of the capital...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, U.K.United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, a retired professor of medical physicsMedical physicsMedical physics is the application of physics to medicine. It generally concerns physics as applied to medical imaging and radiotherapy, although a medical physicist may also work in many other areas of healthcare... - James Loney, 41, of Sault Ste. Marie, OntarioSault Ste. Marie, OntarioSault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, program coordinator for CPT Canada - Harmeet Singh SoodenHarmeet Singh SoodenHarmeet Singh Sooden is a Canadian and New Zealand citizen who volunteered for Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. From November 26, 2005, he was held captive in Iraq with three others and threatened with execution until being freed by multinational forces in an operation on March 23, 2006.Sooden...
, 33, a Canadian electrical engineer studying in New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Of these, one of the team members, Tom Fox
Tom Fox (activist)
Thomas William "Tom" Fox was an American Quaker peace activist, affiliated with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. He was kidnapped on November 26, 2005 in Baghdad along with three other CPT activists, leading to the 2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis...
, was found dead on March 9 in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, while the remaining three were rescued on March 23 by a multinational military force
Multinational force in Iraq
The Multi-National Force – Iraq was a military command, led by the United States, which was responsible for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Multi-National Force – Iraq replaced the previous force, Combined Joint Task Force 7, on 15 May 2004, and was later itself reorganized into its successor, United...
led by the British SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
.
CPT in Iraq
The hostages were members of CPT's Iraq project, which began working in 2002, before the 2003 invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. 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.
Non-violence and organization goals
A distinctive feature of this crisis was the victims' dedication to non-violenceNonviolence
Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
. CPT
Christian Peacemaker Teams
Christian Peacemaker Teams is an international organization set up to support teams of peace workers in conflict areas around the world. These teams believe that they can lower the levels of violence through nonviolent direct action, human rights documentation, and nonviolence training. CPT sums...
condemned the actions of the kidnappers, but maintained pacifist principles by refusing to call for any violent rescue effort. The kidnappings led to widespread sympathy and support, with calls for their release coming from diverse Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and secular groups in the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
and Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. However, supporters of the Iraq War have criticized the team's presence in Iraq.
Throughout the crisis, CPT has 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 occupation of Iraq...is the root cause of the insecurity that led to this kidnapping".
Circumstances of kidnapping
The four had planned to visit the Muslim Clerics AssociationAssociation of Muslim Scholars
The Association of Muslim Scholars is a group of religious leaders in Iraq. It was formed on the April 14, 2003, four days after the U.S.-led invasion demolished the Ba'athist regime of Saddam Hussein, by a group of scholars who aimed to represent Sunnis in Iraq...
, an influential group of Sunni
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
religious leaders formed in 2003 after the collapse of the former regime. They were about 100 metres from the entrance to the mosque where the meeting was to take place when they were abducted. Their driver and translator were not taken.
Kidnappers' demands
The kidnappers called themselves the Swords of Righteousness BrigadeSwords of Righteousness Brigade
The Swords of Righteousness Brigade is a terrorist group who kidnapped four Western peace activists in Iraq on 26 November 2005, murdered one, and held the remaining three hostage until March 22, 2006, when coalition forces raided the place where the hostages were held...
, and published a video shown worldwide on 29 November by Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
, in which they claimed the hostages were spies. 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.
More than a month passed until the next word from the kidnappers. On January 28, 2006, Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
broadcasted a video showing the four hostages alive, dated January 21. 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, the body of Tom Fox was found atop a garbage dump in Baghdad, killed by gunshot wounds to the head and chest. The hands of the corpse were bound together. CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reported that Iraqi policemen claimed Fox's body showed signs of torture. This report was widely repeated in other media outlets, although no further sources were named. This initial report has been challenged by CPT who claim that members of the group saw no evidence of torture upon viewing the body at a stateside funeral home and on examination of Fox's face and hands immediately after the body was recovered. CPT claims that two independent sources who examined the body more closely also found no evidence of torture. A member of the group added that he believed claims of torture "further demonize the other side." The results of an independent autopsy have not been made public.
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."
Military action & release of surviving hostages
On March 23, 2006, the three remaining hostages were rescued from a house near the town of Mishahda by a multinational force. None of the kidnappers were found in the house at the time. The Telegraph (UK) reported that "A deal had been struck with a man detained the previous night who was one of the leaders of the kidnappers. He was allowed a telephone call to warn his henchmen to leave the kidnap house. When the troops moved in and found the prisoners alive, they also let him go as promised."The rescue force was led by elements of 'Task Force Black' - the UK element from the joint special operations task group known as Task Force 88 (anti-terrorist unit)
Task Force 88 (anti-terrorist unit)
Task Force 88 is an American special operations unit formed since 11 September 2001, of which little is publicly known. Described as a "hunter-killer team" with its core made up of Delta Force, 75th Ranger Regiment Rangers and DEVGRU operators, Task Force 88 reportedly conducts covert operations...
that consisted of British SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
, and US Tier One Special Forces units. They were supported by 'Task Force Maroon', a support unit made up of British paratroopers and marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
. Joint Task Force 2
Joint Task Force 2
Joint Task Force 2 is an elite Special Operations Force of the Canadian Armed Forces primarily tasked with counter-terrorism operations...
, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
and Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.Its...
were also involved.
The three surviving hostages were in good medical condition. While captive, they had been allowed to exercise and Kember had received medication he needs.
It was reported that the CPT had not cooperated with the SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
officials who coordinated the rescue. CPT co-director Doug Pritchard stated that they did not want a "military raid" to occur and preferred to work with diplomats.
Charges of ingratitude towards military personnel
CPT and the victims were criticized for their reluctance to thank the troops who rescued them. Following the rescue, 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 in the rescue mission. General SirSir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson
General Sir Michael David "Mike" Jackson, is a retired British Army officer and one of its most high-profile generals since the Second World War. Originally commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1963, he transferred to the Parachute Regiment, with whom he served two of his three tours of...
, Commander of the British Army
Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)
Chief of the General Staff has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board...
, told British Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
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". 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.
Refusal to testify
On December 8, 2006, the three ex-hostages held a press conference at St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation, in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 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
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
. Loney was quoted as saying, "We bear no malice towards them and have no wish for retribution."
The ex-hostages also said that if they did testify, it would likely be only to plea for clemency on behalf of their captors.
Books published on crisis
On March 23, 2007, one year after the release of the three hostages, Norman Kember published Hostage in Iraq. 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. 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. The book is now available from Cascadia Publishing House. It examines the events surrounding the captivity from multiple points of view, including CPTers who remained in Baghdad during the crisis; CPTers working on other teams (Palestine, Colombia, the Chicago and Toronto offices); friends, supporters and family members of the hostages.
Knopf Canada will publish a book written by James Loney in the spring of 2011.
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. See Kidnappers' demands (above) for more.
- On the same day, radio personality Rush LimbaughRush LimbaughRush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
stirred controversy by stating, in reference to the kidnapping, that "part of me likes this". Earlier in the broadcast, explaining this point, he said "Well, here's why I like it. I like any time a bunch of leftist feel-good hand-wringers are shown reality."
- 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 ChomskyNoam ChomskyAvram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
and Arundhati RoyArundhati RoyArundhati Roy is an Indian novelist. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays...
.
- 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 BlairTony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
withdraw all British troops from Iraq.
- On the same day, Ehab Lotayef, a representative of the Canadian Islamic CongressCanadian Islamic CongressThe Canadian Islamic Congress refers to itself as Canada's largest national non-profit and wholly independent Islamic organization without affiliation to any foreign group, body, or government and says it represents -- Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, men and women, youth and seniors...
, left Canada for Baghdad (he arrived in Iraq on December 9 and broadcast televised appeals to the kidnappers, stating that Christian Peacemakers had always been supportive of human rights for Arabs in Iraq and Palestine). As well, Tom Fox's daughter Katherine appeared on ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Nightline to plead for his release.
- December 7: An additional plea for the hostages' release was made by the radical Muslim cleric Abu QatadaAbu QatadaAbû-Qatâda al-Filisṭînî , sometimes called Abû-Omar is an Islamist militant. Under the name Omar Mahmoud Othman , he is under worldwide embargo by the United Nations Security Council Committee 1267 for his affiliation with al-Qaeda...
, from a British jail.
- 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 reminiscient of those worn by detainees in photos from Abu GhraibAbu Ghraib prisonThe Baghdad Central Prison, formerly known as Abu Ghraib prison is in Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi city 32 km west of Baghdad. It was built by British contractors in the 1950s....
and Guantanamo BayGuantanamo Bay detainment campThe Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
. Some commentators, such as BBC correspondent Caroline HawleyCaroline HawleyCaroline Hawley is a British journalist who has been a Special Correspondent for the BBC News channel since 2007.Hawley is the daughter of British diplomat Sir Donald Hawley, She was educated at Wycombe Abbey School, an independent school for girls in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, followed by...
, 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 Iraq2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. 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).
- December 9: Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam BeggMoazzam BeggMoazzam Begg , is a British Pakistani Muslim who was held in extrajudicial detention in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Cuba, by the U.S...
called for the hostages' release, stating that the orange boiler suits worn by the hostages reminded him of his own imprisonment. Terry WaiteTerry WaiteTerry Waite CBE is an English humanitarian and author.Waite was Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie's Assistant for Anglican Communion Affairs in the 1980s. As an envoy for the Church of England, he travelled to Lebanon to try to secure the release of four hostages including journalist John...
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. The same day, a plea was made by Mohammed Mahdi Akef, president of the EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Muslim BrotherhoodMuslim BrotherhoodThe Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
.
- 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 SheehanCindy SheehanCindy Lee Miller Sheehan is an American anti-war activist whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended anti-war protest at a makeshift camp outside President...
called for the hostages' release in a rally in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
- December 12: Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor sent his regards and a message of support to a vigilVigilA vigil is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance...
being held in Trafalgar SquareTrafalgar SquareTrafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
, 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."
- December 16: The Toronto StarToronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
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. Later that day, Ekklesia reported these claims were unfounded, and that there was no such negotiator.
- 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 EpiphanyEpiphany (Christian)Epiphany, or Theophany, meaning "vision of God",...
fast in Lafayette Park outside the White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
from January 6 to January 9, or until they were granted a meeting with President BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
- January 7: Al JazeeraAl JazeeraAl Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
ran an interview with a friend of Tom Fox, using a headline emphasising the situation as ongoing.
- January 28: Al JazeeraAl JazeeraAl Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
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."
- February 20: Newly appointed Canadian foreign-affairs ministerMinister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations section of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada....
Peter MacKayPeter MacKayPeter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
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.
- 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".
- March 10: The U.S. State Department announced that the body of Tom FoxTom Fox (activist)Thomas William "Tom" Fox was an American Quaker peace activist, affiliated with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. He was kidnapped on November 26, 2005 in Baghdad along with three other CPT activists, leading to the 2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis...
was found in Iraq.
- March 23: The three remaining hostages are rescued 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. The identity and extent of the Canadian military contribution and the nature of its partipication, if any, are unknown. There were unconfirmed reports and speculation that elements of the Canadian special-operations unit Joint Task Force 2Joint Task Force 2Joint Task Force 2 is an elite Special Operations Force of the Canadian Armed Forces primarily tasked with counter-terrorism operations...
were involved. It has been confirmed that the rescue was led by SASSpecial Air ServiceSpecial Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
Troopers 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 New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Harmeet Sooden was warned by Prime MinisterPrime Minister of New ZealandThe Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
Helen ClarkHelen ClarkHelen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...
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 journalismChequebook journalismChequebook journalism is the form of journalism where the essential characteristic is that the journalist pays the subject of the work money for the right to publish his story....
" on the part of state-owned TVNZ, which allegedly paid Sooden's family around $NZ30,000 for their exclusive story. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3617689a10,00.html
- 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.
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 NewsCBC NewsCBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
, December 11, 2005 - 'Family waits as deadline passes in silence', The Globe and MailThe Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, December 11, 2005