WASHINGTON, DC – Twelve years ago today, Thanksgiving Day, American freelance journalist, James W. Foley was kidnapped by jihadist forces while reporting from Syria and held hostage for two years before being publicly beheaded. The Foley Foundation, established to advance Jim’s legacy, advocates for the freedom of American hostages and wrongful detainees held abroad and promotes journalist safety.
As President-elect Trump prepares to assume office in January, the Foundation is hopeful that his incoming Administration will expand upon its commitment, as evinced in his first term, to bring home Americans unjustly held captive abroad while also working to prevent future hostage-taking.
We commend the Biden administration for its outstanding work in freeing scores of Americans held captive abroad including orchestrating a complex seven nation prisoner swap in August that secured the release from Russia of three American citizens and one legal permanent resident.
Founder and president of the Foundation, Diane Foley, said “Freedom for more than 130 fellow Americans taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad following fundamental U.S. policy reforms in 2015 is an example of James W. Foley’s legacy of moral courage.”
The Foley Foundation publishes research on the U.S. government’s effectiveness in returning U.S. nationals taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. The safety education curriculum it has developed for journalism students is used widely by instructors in U.S. universities.
