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Journalism of Courage
France, Germany and Italy paid approximately $45 million to free nine hostages abducted in Iraq, despite publicly denying payment of any ransom to the kidnappers.
According to documents held by security officials in Baghdad who have played a crucial role in hostage negotiations, the countries had paid sums from $2.5 million to $10 million per person over the past 21 months to obtain release of its citizens, the Times said on Monday.
UK, however, never paid to free its citizens, despite pressure from the employees of some hostages, but is understood to have paid intermediaries ‘‘expenses’’ for their efforts to make contact with the kidnappers.
The list of payments has also been seen by western diplomats, who are angered at the behaviour of the three governments, arguing that it encourages organised crime gangs to grab more foreign captives.
‘‘In theory we stand together in not rewarding kidnappers, but in practice it seems some administrations have parted with cash and so it puts other foreign nationals at risk from gangs who are confident that some governments do pay,’’ an envoy in Baghdad was quoted as saying.
Many governments, including Turkey, Romania, Sweden and Jordan, were also said to have paid for their hostages to be freed, as have some US companies in Iraq. This money is often disguised as ‘‘expenses’’ paid to trusted go-betweens for costs that they claim to incur.
