Obama: No Prosecution for Families Paying Ransom for Hostages
WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) — U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday said the families of hostages taken overseas will not face prosecution for paying ransom, saying they should not “feel ignored or victimized by their own government.”
The U.S. government has faced backlash in recent months for its previous policy, in which families who wish to pay terrorists ransom for the release of their loved ones are threatened with prosecution. Though the policy exists, the Department of Justice largely looked the other way when families chose to break the law.
“These families have already suffered enough and they should never feel ignored or victimized by their own government,” Obama said.
Obama also announced the introduction of a “Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell,” an office that will serve to provide communication for hostage victim families and help coordinate recovery efforts. The office will operate under the FBI, though it could come under the purview of the State Department or Pentagon in the future.
The government will maintain its policy of not paying ransoms because it only encourages more kidnappings.
The parents of James Foley, a freelance journalist kidnapped and executed by Islamic State militants in August, have been vocal about their criticism of the U.S. government’s handling of their son’s case. They were repeatedly told they would be prosecuted if they attempted to pay a ransom for their son’s release.
“We were told at that point that there was going to be no intervention, there was going to be no negotiation, and that no ransom would be paid — and, if in fact, we attempted to raise the money and pay it we would be potentially prosecuted. So that was pretty upsetting,” John Foley said on ABC News’ World News Tonight in April.
Obama said Wednesday it was “totally unacceptable” that some of the families of hostages “often felt like an afterthought.”
