http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1968174,00.html
Former Iraq hostages refuse to give evidence against captors in trial · Peace activists remain opposed to death penalty · We would take part to urge clemency, says Kember Duncan Campbell Saturday December 9, 2006 The Guardian Norman Kember, the British peace activist held by kidnappers for 118 days in Iraq, and his two fellow hostages have refused to give evidence in the trial of their captors if there is a risk that they will face execution. Reunited in London yesterday, the hostages said that they all "unconditionally forgive" the men and had no desire for them to be punished in any way. The three former hostages, Mr Kember, and Canadians James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden, made their plea following their first reunion since they were rescued by British and American special forces in March. The occasion was the first anniversary of their captors threatening to kill them unless the captors' demands were met. "What our captors did was wrong," said Mr Loney at a press conference held at St Ethelburga's centre for reconciliation in the City of London. "They caused us, our families and our friends great suffering. Yet we bear no malice towards them and have no wish for retribution." The former hostages are all opposed to the death penalty by which the offence of kidnapping is punishable in Iraq. Their alleged captors are due to face trial in the central criminal court in Iraq early next year. Citing Sikh, Christian and Muslim beliefs on forgiveness, the men said in a statement that "the death penalty is an irrevocable judgment. It erases all possibility that those who have harmed others, even seriously, can yet turn to good." One of their colleagues in the Christian Peacemaker Teams, Tom Fox, an American, was executed by their abductors. Mr Loney said that Mr Fox had previously signed a statement saying that he did not want anyone to be executed if he was murdered. "Tom was the most compassionate of the four of us," said Mr Kember, aged 74, from Pinner, north-west London, who is writing a book about his experiences. "If we heard an explosion, he would immediately pray for both the victims and the perpetrators." He said that, although no final decision had been made, they felt that they would only take part in proceedings against their alleged abductors if they thought that some good could come from it. "If it was necessary to take part in a trial to plead for clemency and that was the only way ... then we would take part, but that would be the only reason," he said. He said that he did not know what the evidence against the accused was but when he was rescued all his clothes and personal possessions had been taken from him by the authorities so that they could see if there were any fingerprints on them. The men believed that their kidnappers were victims of the cycle of violence unleashed by the US-led invasion and occupation. "We feel this must be considered in any potential judgment," said Mr Loney, citing the "catastrophic levels of violence and the lack of effective protection of human rights. I believe that every human life is sacred." Asked if he thought that he had been naive in going to Iraq with the mission, Mr Kember said: "Yes, we were naive, if Jesus was naive and Martin Luther King was naive and Gandhi was naive." He said that after being "in denial" about the trauma he had suffered he had "apart from intrusions by the media, gradually settled back pretty well", thanks to his wife, family, friends and church. Mr Kember, who was accompanied by his wife, said that he had been asked to assist in trauma counselling in Chicago on behalf of the CPT and had started to read books about the subject. He said that he now found the first chapter of Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome to be more helpful in terms of dealing with the possible side-effects of his kidnapping and incarceration. Backstory Norman Kember and three other members of the Canada-based Christian Peacemaker Teams were seized in Baghdad on November 26 2005. A retired professor of medical physics, devout Christian and pacifist, Mr Kember joined James Loney, Harmeet Sooden and Tom Fox in Iraq as a "gesture of solidarity". Their kidnappers demanded the release of Iraqi prisoners and withdrawal of troops. Prominent British Muslims made appeals on Al-Jazeera TV for Kember's release. Fox was shot, but two weeks later the others were freed by special forces, including the SAS. +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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