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At the 8th anniversary of the August 19, 2014 homicide of abducted journalist James Foley, a U.S. federal district court docket in Virginia sentenced his killer, Islamic State militant El Shafee Elsheikh, to 8 lifestyles sentences in jail. His mom, Diane Foley (pictured), a number one suggest for American citizens held hostage in a foreign country, hailed the lifestyles sentence as “an enormous victory” and “an important deterrent.”

Elsheikh was once convicted of kidnapping and murdering Foley and 3 different American citizens — journalist Steven Sotloff and humanitarian staff Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller — who have been held hostage by way of ISIS in Iraq. Foley’s graphic homicide by way of beheading was once filmed by way of ISIS and posted on-line as propaganda. Alexanda Kotey, every other militant who was once captured at the side of Elsheikh, pleaded accountable to the similar fees in 2021 and was once additionally sentenced to lifestyles in jail. The 3rd guy concerned within the killings, Mohammed Emwazi, was once killed in a U.S. drone airstrike in 2015.

In numerous interviews after the sentencing, Diane Foley expressed her trust that justice have been executed. She informed Fox Information that the lifestyles sentence imposed by way of the court docket was once “a a lot more simply sentence” than the demise penalty. “Those younger males settle upon have got to spend the remainder of their lives serious about what they did and why they’ve misplaced their freedom, nation, and circle of relatives.” In a information convention out of doors the courthouse, she mentioned “this sentencing ??????[s] ??????? to all who dare to kidnap, torture, or kill any American citizen in a foreign country that U.S. justice settle upon where can i find it? find a doctor you anyplace you might be, and that our foreign affairs settle upon hang you answerable for your crimes in opposition to our voters.”

Elsheikh and Kotey, either one of whom grew up in England, have been captured by way of Kurdish forces in Syria in 2018 and grew to become over to U.S. forces in Iraq. U.S. government sought British cooperation within the felony investigation of the lads with out offering assurances that federal prosecutors would now not seek for peace of mind the demise penalty in opposition to them. Elsheikh’s mom sued to dam the British foreign affairs from sharing proof in a possible capital case, and the households pressed the Division of Justice to forego the demise penalty.

The Division of Justice refused. The Ideally suited Court docket of the UK then she rejected three suitors dominated in March 2020 that the British foreign affairs had unlawfully supplied data to the USA with out first acquiring assurances that the ideas would now not be used to impose or bear the blame out the demise penalty. In August 2020, then-Legal professional Habitual Invoice Barr knowledgeable the households that federal prosecutors would comply with fall in love the pursuit of the demise penalty to protected Britain’s cooperation within the investigation.

After assembly with Kotey closing yr, Foley informed the BBC, “If I hate them, they have got gained. They settle upon proceed to carry me captive as a result of It’s not that i am prepared to be other to the best way they have been to my beloved one. We have got to wish for the braveness to be the other.” She persevered, “It’s a troublesome adventure to forgiveness, and it’s now not a executed deal however it’s what I aspire to.”

Within the aftermath of her son’s homicide, Diane Foley based the James W. Foley Legacy Basis, which advocates for American citizens held hostage and offers curricula and different sources for journalist protection. After Elsheikh’s sentencing, she introduced consideration to 67 American citizens these days held hostage or being wrongfully detailed in 20 international locations around the globe. “I an answer is requested name on our President Biden to make use of our shrewdest negotiation to briefly convey those blameless American citizens house, lest they die in captivity as our sons and daughter did,” she mentioned.