Saturday, February 17, 2007
Peacemaker team hostages released
Security
(Salt Lake Tribune) A former student is safely home after being kidnapped during a service mission in Iraq. Will Van Wagenen was volunteering with Christian Peacemaker Teams in northern Iraq when he, team member Peggy Gish, an Iraqi associate and a translator were taken captive Jan. 27, a CPT spokesperson said. Gish and the translator were released shortly after the abduction and returned to a CPT apartment unharmed, but Van Wagenen and the Iraqi associate were not. After more than a week in captivity, Van Wagenen and his Iraqi colleague were released Feb. 4. Neither was harmed.
Peacemaker Teams is a faith-based, violence-reduction group that sends trained peacemakers into war- and conflict-affected locations around the world. It was formed by Mennonites, Quakers and The Church of the Brethren in 1984, with a mission to help safeguard human rights through nonviolent actions. The CPT has had a presence in Iraq since October 2002 and has suffered kidnappings before. In November 2005, four CPT members were taken hostage, and one, Tom Fox, was murdered. The other three were rescued in March 2006. CPT spokesperson Michele Naar-Obed said the organization is constantly assessing the risks and dangers of working in Iraq, as well as the value of that work.
Labels: Christian Peacemaker Teams, hostages
