Statement
AFSC, FCNL Renew Concerns Over Kidnapped Peacemakers
March 10, 2006
We hope the release in early March of a new video showing three of the abducted members of a Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq marks the beginning of a new dialogue leading to their release. The committee and staff members of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) are dismayed by the continuing detention of these non-violent workers for peace. We are especially concerned by the absence of Tom Fox, a Quaker, from this video. We renew our appeal to the captors for the safe return of all four men, Tom, Norman Kember, James Loney and Harmeet Sooden.
The 100 days that have passed since their kidnapping have served as a bitter reminder for us of the pain and suffering that countless Iraqis have endured since the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Thousands of Iraqis have been kidnapped for ransom or political gain in the past three years. Tens of thousands more have been killed as a result of the ongoing violence. The Christian Peacemaker Teams continue to maintain a nonviolent public witness to the violence and uncertainty which persists in the country.
As Quaker organizations, we denounce the violence and brutality of war. Equally, we repudiate those who prey upon the civilians of Iraq. We support and applaud the many, many individuals, and religious and political leaders who are working to heal the wounds of this war.
We appeal to those responsible for the kidnappings to release all four peacemakers unharmed.
Read the original appeal issued by AFSC and FCNL in December, 2005.
The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), a non-partisan Quaker lobby in the public interest, opposed the invasion of Iraq. FCNL believes there is no military solution to the conflict in Iraq. More troops, more guns, and more killing will not bring about peace. FCNL works in the United States for an end to the U.S. occupation and the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces and bases.
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is an international social justice organization and a co-recipient of the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize, which honored Quakers' historic work to relieve the suffering of war. Since 1917, AFSC has aided millions of people around the world through its peace, economic development, and human rights programs. AFSC was a leader in the movements to end the Vietnam War and to dismantle apartheid in South Africa and remains a leader in international movements for peace and justice.
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