Tiger offers his condolences to the family and friends of James Wright Foley, a journalist from America who was recently beheaded by ISIS militants. Tiger’s hackles are raised as history once again repeats itself, with how journalists are persecuted with disregard for the laws that protect a journalist in a danger zone.
Tiger is sad. And angry. And confused. But above all sad. From all accounts, a good person by the name of James Wright Foley lost his life in a statement of intent by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), who beheaded the man to send a message to the United States to cease their meddling in Iraq, where president Barack Obama had sanctioned air strikes to aid in the containment of ISIS, with a recent victory being the capture of the Mosul Dam, which controls water and power to the region, from the hands of ISIS forces.
Tiger will take no sides here, but instead note, with no small amount of frustration and sorrow, that this so-called message had cost the life of an innocent man, merely doing his job.
And this is not even the first time this is happening. Over the years, there have been multiple cases of abduction, incarceration, and murder of journalists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, there have been 32 murders of journalists in 2014 alone, with 70 murders in 2013 and 74 in 2012. Also noted was that 2013 saw at least 65 journalists abducted, more than double the number of the preceding years combined.
Is there no longer any respect for the neutrality of a journalist? Tiger believes that any and all sides in any conflict should respect that the people going in to get the news are journalists first, rather than as representative nationals of their respective countries. Journalists are beholden to their word to report any situation with neutrality and without bias, and Tiger would like to think that everyone on any side of a conflict would understand that.Location definitely has something to do with this issue. Syria has been acknowledged as the most dangerous country in the world for journalists by the CPJ, as it is one of the primary conflict zones at this time, along with Iraq, which also happens to be leading the CPJ’s Impunity Index, with 100% impunity to 100 cases.
As it always is, however, this is not to be. The safety of journalists in conflict or high danger zones is already very much in question, with munitions not knowing the difference between a neutral and an enemy. But when militants start gunning for journalists due to their relative lack of an ability to defend themselves, Tiger feels this crosses all sorts of lines in all sorts of books.
Even if the journalists are not killed, whether to make a statement or not, they are still abducted and held against their will for extended periods of time. How Foley was abducted and held for almost two years before his murder is one case in point.
And what happens to the journalists while they are being held? One can never be certain what happens, but tea and crumpets over an interview does not seem likely. Tiger does applaud the United States for their efforts in trying to locate and rescue Foley and several others abducted along with him, but Tiger believes that prevention of further abductions and killings might be for the better.
Among the steps already taken by the United Nations is the implementation of the U.N. Plan of Action for the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, with the U.N. General Assembly adopting a resolution on the safety of journalists. The resolution calls for states to act to pursue justice and put an end to impunity.
Tiger definitely mourns Foley, who has gone where others fear to tread, and hopes for the safety of other journalists reporting from conflict zones to bring news to the world.
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