Korean Hostages Freed

As predicted, the Koreans taken hostage by Nigerian rebels have been freed.

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Margaret Hassan Killer Sentenced to Life

(Baghdad) In late 2004, UK/Iraqi citizen and CARE International employee Margaret Hassan was kidnapped and murdered and her body has yet to be found. Hassan's death was known only because Al-Jazeera received a videotape of her execution.

Last May, five people were captured (See here and here) by U.S. Forces and admitted complicity in her killing. The trial of three of the suspected killers has concluded.

From Times Online:

The family of the British aid worker Margaret Hassan today said that a court's decision to acquit two of three Iraqis charged with her murder was a "green light" to kidnappers.

Mrs Hassan's relatives also criticised the British Government's "inept" handling of her abduction and chastised detectives for their "incompetent" investigation which led to today's acquittals.

One of the three accused, Mustafa Salman al-Jabouri, was jailed for life after a hearing lasting only two hours before a panel of judges in Baghdad. He was found guilty of aiding and abetting the kidnappers who snatched Mrs Hassan, 59, as she drove to work in October 2004.

Mrs Hassan's family believe that police failed to gather evidence which would have led to al-Jabouri's conviction for murder, for which there is a mandatory death sentence.

Consequently, three people who were directly complicit with the execution-style murder of an innocent civilian will not be required to pay the ultimate penalty. Personally, I believe the justice and law enforcement systems in Iraq have not developed sufficiently to properly investigate and adjudicate criminals, much less murdering terrorist thugs.

From Interested-Participant.

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Koreans Taken Hostage in Nigeria

Five South Koreans were taken hostage in Nigeria yesterday. Is this surprising? Of course not! Which part of this equation are people not getting?

Demand ransom + governments and firms pay ransom = more hostage taking

Forbes:

Gunmen kidnapped five South Koreans in an overnight raid on a gas plant in southern Nigeria owned by Shell, the militants and officials from the company and Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

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Liliana Ake Keeping Hope Alive

Liliana is featured in an article today todayÂ’s Washington Post. The small town of La Porte Indiana waits for word on his fate. Jeff has been missing longer than any hostage ever to return alive. Still her hope and prayers for JeffÂ’s safe return is touching. The town, his wife and children await some word, any word, of his fate while praying for his safe return. Being from a small town myself, trust me the whole town is his family.

Washington Post :Jeffrey J. Ake is 48 now, if he is alive. He is also a husband and son and the father of four children who miss him terribly. He is a storyteller, a Rotarian and a small-business owner who thrived in distant capitals.

He traveled to Iraq, tools in hand, on a private contract to repair machines at a water-bottling plant. Early one morning in April 2005, the telephone rang at a lakeside rambler in La Porte, 80 miles east of Chicago. An Iraqi man, talking fast in poor English, told Liliana Ake, "We have your husband."

Fourteen months later, nothing is known about his whereabouts, while his family waits and neighbors wonder what to expect after so much silence. No American has been held captive longer in Iraq and come out aliveÂ….

Â…"Nothing at all. For over a year, we haven't heard anything," Liliana Ake explained in her first newspaper interview since her husband's abduction. "We pray every night. My little boy says, 'Bad people in Iraq have my dad. It's not fair.' "

She believes he is alive, perhaps because she must. At the same time, she is bothered by the sense in LaPorte, where people have been supporting her and rooting for her husband, that Jeff is becoming mostly a memory. Signs like the one at the KarMel are fewer. It is as though Jeff Ake is slipping awayÂ….

Â…"Unfortunately, there are not many more cards coming," she said. "Time goes by."

Jeffrey Ake is specialist in water systems. And La Porte Indiana is hardly the center of a Zionist, Imperialist conspiracy. The abduction of Jeffrey Ake shows the callous indifference of the enemies if Iraq who routinely kidnap and murder innocent non-combatants in violation of all rules of warfare. These are the true war criminals! When our men loose their temper or commit a war crime, we bring them to justice. For the terrorist war criminals we fight there this is standard operating procedure.

Jeffrey Ake Archive.

Jawa Report Hostage Archive.

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Eight Western Hostages, including American, Freed in Nigeria

An American, a Canadian, and six Britons have been freed in Nigeria. Authorities declined to say whether a ransom was paid or not---which is a polite way of saying, yes, we paid ransom. Expect more hostage taking in Nigeria as this is turning into a lucrative business opportunity.

CBC News:

Eight foreign oil workers kidnapped in Nigeria — including a Canadian — were released Sunday, a local government spokesman said.

"All the hostages have been released. They are with the governor [of Bayelsa state] now," said Ekiyor Welson, a spokesman for the state in the southern Niger Delta region where the eight were kidnapped from an offshore oil rig on Friday.

Thanks to George, our unofficial hostage reporter.

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Four Russians Kidnapped, One Murdered in Iraq

A Russian diplomat was murdered and four embassy workers were taken hostage in Iraq today. It's not entirely clear if this is the act of terrorsists trying to make a political statement or if it is the work of criminals attempting to make money---or a combination of both.

Some sources indicate that the four may have already been rescued. We hope that this is the case.

We pray for the immediate release of these men.

WaPo:

Gunmen ambushed a Russian diplomatic car in Baghdad on Saturday afternoon, killing tne diplomat and kidnapping four others, Iraqi police and the Russian embassy reported.

The car came under attack from armed men in two cars in the Mansour neighborhood of western Baghdad, police Col. Sami Hassan said. An opening fusillade of gunfire killed one embassy worker. When the shooting brought the convoy to a halt, the gunmen kidnapped four others, Hassan said. Iraqi security forces cordoned off the area and began a search for the missing diplomats.

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American Among 8 Taken Hostage in Nigeria

Eight Westerners, including one American, working in Nigeria's oil fields have been taken hostage. Unlike other attacks which are usually claimed by the separatist MEND group within hours, this one was not. Whoever is behind the hostage-taking, we demand their immediate and unconditional release.

Reuters:

Gunmen abducted eight foreign workers in a night-time raid on an oil rig off the coast of Nigeria on Friday, raising new security fears after a series of militant attacks that cut output from Africa's top oil producer...

"Some unknown persons boarded the rig at 3 a.m. (0200 GMT) and took eight workers. They are six from the UK, one Canadian and one from the U.S.," said an executive from one of the companies that operate the Bulford Dolphin rig. He denied reports that eight Nigerians were also abducted in the attack.

Hat tip: George.

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