A week of agonizing silence has affected the Foley household after Medill alumnus James Foley’s (MSJ ’08) parents were told he had been moved from prison to a safe house in Libya. Monday marks the 34th day since James and at least two other journalists were taken captive outside the city of Brega while covering the Libyan conflict.
James’ mother, Diane Foley, said the State Department told her James had been moved to a safe house with fellow journalists Clare Gillis and Manu Brabo in potential preparation for release. The situation seemed to take a turn for the worse, however, after the journalists’ main advocate, the Turkish embassy, pulled out of Libya May 2 following a NATO bombing raid that killed the son of Col. Muammar Gadhafi.
Diane Foley said communication has been scarce since the embassy’s exodus and her son’s location is now again in question.
“The State Department can’t tell us anything,” she said. “It’s just been a really quiet week.”
The Foley family spent the week attending an “evening of witness” in Boston, where friends and family of the journalists gathered to view their work, share experiences and pray for their release. Another event will be in New York on May 15.
James’ brother, Michael Foley, told The Harvard Crimson at the event the family was looking for a second course of action.
“The situation is dire out there,” he said. “One conclusion is that if people in the room here aren’t prone to action, I don’t know if we will see a positive outcome.”
The Foley family released a statement Thursday summarizing the response to the journalists’ detainment. According to the statement, the International Criminal Court will brief the United Nations Security Council on crimes against humanity committed by Libyan leaders, including “enforced disappearances.”
More than 30,000 individuals have now signed a petition advocating for the journalists. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) have been vocal in calling for pressure on diplomatic outlets to ensure their release, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for Libya to release all U.S. citizens who have been “unjustly” detained in Libya.
“We love our son very much and we want and need him to be back safely here in New Hampshire,” said James’ father, John Foley, according to the statement. “We are so grateful to all those in this country and around the world who have worked for James’ freedom and that of his fellow journalists.”
