IMAN Chairman condemns execution of Japanese hostages
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Japan PM Abe condemns hostage 'death' video
BBC NEWS
Japan's prime minister has condemned as "outrageous and unacceptable" a video declaring the murder of Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa by Islamic State.
Shinzo Abe demanded the release of a second hostage, purported to be Kenji Goto, shown in the video. Japan says it is trying to verify the footage.
On Tuesday, Islamic State (IS) said it would kill the two men unless Japan paid $200m (£130m) within 72 hours.
But IS now appears to be demanding an exchange of captives instead.
Mr Goto appears to say IS would swap him for Sajida al-Rishawi - an Iraqi militant held in Jordan.
After the latest tape, Mr Abe said Japan would not bow to terrorism.
"This act of terrorism is an outrageous and unacceptable act of violence," he said.
"I again strongly demand the immediate release of Mr Kenji Goto unharmed."
In a statement, President Barack Obama said the US "strongly condemns the brutal murder of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa by the terrorist group ISIL [or IS]".
Mr Obama said the US would stand "shoulder to shoulder'' with Japan.
'Abominable and unforgivable'
The video apparently shows Mr Goto holding a picture of what appears to be the body of Mr Yukawa.
US National Security Council official Patrick Ventrell said the US was also trying to establish the authenticity of the video and was closely co-ordinating with Japan.
Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said the video image "showing a killed Japanese person" was "an abominable and unforgivable act of violence".
There is some uncertainty over whether the video released on Saturday actually comes from Islamic State.
Unlike similar previous videos, the latest recording does not carry the logo of any IS media arms, and consists of an audio message with a still image. Other official videos have shown moving footage.
Haruna Yukawa, 42, was seized by militants in August after going to Syria to set up a private military contracting company, according to reports.
Kenji Goto, 47, is a well-known freelance journalist and documentary film-maker who went to Syria in October, reportedly to try to get Mr Yukawa released.
In a video released on Tuesday, a masked man was shown standing over kneeling hostages named as Mr Yukawa and Mr Goto and demanding the ransom.
The previously announced ransom is the same amount as that pledged in non-military aid for countries fighting IS by Prime Minister Abe during a recent tour of the Middle East.
Islamic State says it has beheaded second Japanese hostage Goto
REUTERS
Islamic State militants said on Saturday they had beheaded a second Japanese hostage, journalist Kenji Goto, after the failure of international efforts to secure his release through a prisoner swap.
The hardline Islamist group, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, released a video which seemed to show the beheaded body of Goto and threatened further attacks on Japanese targets. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said the video appeared to be genuine.
Islamic State had said Goto, 47, was held along with a Jordanian pilot. Efforts to win their release had focused on the possible release of an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber jailed in Jordan 10 years ago. The video did not mention the pilot.
Japan condemned the actions of the militants and said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet would meet in response to the video, which showed a hooded man standing over Goto with a knife to his throat, followed by footage of a head put on the back of a human body.
The video was released exactly a week after footage appearing to show the beheaded body of another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa.
"I feel strong indignation at this inhumane and contemptible act of terrorism," a grim-faced Abe said in brief remarks to reporters in Japan. "I will never forgive these terrorists."
"Japan will work with the international community to bring those responsible for this crime to justice," Abe added, reiterating that Japan would not give in to terrorism.
President Barack Obama said the United States condemned the "heinous murder" and would continue to work with allies to destroy the hardline Islamist group.
Britain also condemned the killing.
Islamic State's threats to kill the group's Japanese hostages were issued after Abe announced earlier this month $200 million in non-military aid for countries contending with Islamic State.
Addressing Abe, the militant in the video said: "Because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found. So let the nightmare for Japan begin."
The militant had the same British accent as the man featured in previous Islamic State videos showing beheadings. Goto wore an orange jumpsuit like Islamic State captives in past footage.
The landscape in the video showed a hill and land covered in scrub, and appeared different to the desert setting of previous videos.
Abe's government had put high priority on seeking the release of Goto, a veteran war correspondent captured by the militants in late October when he went to Syria seeking Yukawa's release. Yukawa, 42, was seized by militants in August after going to Syria to launch a security company.
Goto's mother Junko Ishido, who earlier had appealed for his safe release, said, "I am too upset to find the words to express myself. My son's last act was to go to Syria to help a fellow Japanese (Yukawa). So I want people to understand my son's kindness and courage."
Goto’s older brother, Junichi Goto, said, "I had hoped to give thanks for his return alive. But, as his brother, this outcome is very regrettable.”
Islamic State, an offshoot of al Qaeda, has beheaded a number of Western journalists and aid workers, saying they were paying the price for their governments' fight against the group.
It has also killed many local people, through beheadings, stonings and shootings, accusing them of violating their hardline interpretation of Islamic law.
There was no mention in the one-minute video of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh who was seized by Islamic State after his jet crashed in northeast Syria in December during a bombing mission against the militants.
An audio message that appeared to be from Goto earlier this week said Kasaesbeh would be killed if Jordan did not free Iraqi Sajida al-Rishawi, in jail for her role in a 2005 suicide bomb attack that killed 60 people in the Jordanian capital Amman.
Goto began working as a full-time war correspondent in 1996 and had established a reputation as a careful and reliable operator for Japanese broadcasters, including NHK.
In October, Goto's wife had a baby, the couple's second child. He had an older daughter from a previous marriage, people who know the family said.
Yukawa was captured in August outside the Syrian city of Aleppo. Friends say Goto traveled from Tokyo to Istanbul and from there to Syria, sending a message on Oct. 25 that he had crossed the border and was safe.
"Whatever happens, this is my responsibility," Goto said on a video recorded shortly before he set out for Raqqa. That was the last time he was seen before an Islamic State video released on Jan. 20 appearing to show both Japanese men and threatening to kill them unless the group received $200 million in ransom.
Responding to the news, IMAN Chairman, Ribal Al-Assad said:
"I am horrified to hear of these latest executions carried out by Islamist militants, they are yet another example of the shocking ideology that these extremists abide by.
It is high time that the international community takes action to eradicate extremism once and for all, we must ensure that no more innocent people are murdered at the hands of these animals.
This approach however will require the international community to put aside their differences and work together on this issue.
In the mean time my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families at this sad time."
