[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 805 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 805
Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the murder of James Wright Foley
and calling for the moral courage to prioritize the return of Americans
held captive abroad and take all necessary efforts to deter
international hostage taking and arbitrary detention.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 1, 2024
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Graham) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
September 25, 2024
Committee discharged; considered, amended, and agreed to with an
amended preamble
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the murder of James Wright Foley
and calling for the moral courage to prioritize the return of Americans
held captive abroad and take all necessary efforts to deter
international hostage taking and arbitrary detention.
Whereas James W. Foley was an American freelance journalist, an author, teacher
and humanitarian from New Hampshire;
Whereas James dedicated his career to robust, independent, and compassionate
journalism that took him to war zones and classrooms alike;
Whereas, upon his return after being detained for six weeks in Libya, James
said, ``for some reason I have physical courage, but, that's nothing
compared to moral courage. If I don't have the moral courage to
challenge authority, to write about things that might have reprisals on
my career, if I don't have that moral courage, we don't have
journalism'';
Whereas, on November 22, 2012, James was kidnapped while reporting on the
conflict in northern Syria;
Whereas, on August 19, 2014, James Wright Foley was publicly beheaded by the
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), his death then used as
propaganda against the United States of America;
Whereas, on September 4, 2014, the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation was
established to inspire the moral courage needed to secure the freedom of
Americans taken captive abroad, prevent future hostage-taking, and
promote journalist safety;
Whereas the Foley Foundation participated in the National Counter Terrorism
Center task force, ordered by President Barack Obama to evaluate United
States hostage policy and engagement with families of those held
captive;
Whereas, on June 24, 2015, President Obama issued Presidential Policy Directive
30, which committed to ``achieving the safe and rapid recovery of U.S.
nationals taken hostage outside the United States'' and established the
current United States hostage enterprise, which includes the Hostage
Response Group (HRG) at the National Security Council, the Special
Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA), and the Hostage Recovery
Fusion Cell (HRFC) that together pursue recovery strategies, support
returned hostages and families of current hostages, and coordinate the
use of diplomatic, law enforcement, intelligence, and military
capabilities to resolve international hostage-takings;
Whereas the Foley Foundation has worked since 2014, in collaboration with the
United States Government's hostage enterprise and families of United
States nationals taken hostage abroad by terrorists or criminals and
those wrongfully detained by nation states to help reunite families;
Whereas, in 2019, after negotiating the release of a United States citizen
wrongfully detained in Iran, President Trump reiterated that ``the
highest priority of the United States is the safety and well-being of
its citizens. Freeing Americans held captive is of vital importance to
my Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring home all
our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas,'' and in 2023, upon
negotiating the release of five Americans held in Iran, President Biden
said that ``reuniting wrongfully detained Americans with their loved
ones has been a priority for my Administration since day one'';
Whereas, since 2019, the Foley Foundation has annually published research in the
``Bringing Americans Home'' report, which evaluates the experiences of
American families with a loved one held captive abroad, returned
hostages and detainees, and government and nongovernment experts;
Whereas, in December 2020, Congress passed, and President Trump reaffirmed the
United States commitment to bringing home American citizens by signing
into law the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking
Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 1741 et seq.) to prioritize and provide
assistance to Americans wrongfully detained abroad and to their family
members;
Whereas, in September 2021, Alexanda Kotey pleaded guilty to eight counts of
kidnapping, torture, and accessory to murder of four Americans,
including James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff,
and Peter Edward Kassig;
Whereas, on August 19, 2022, the Department of Justice convicted former British
jihadist, El Shafee ElSheik in Federal Court in the Eastern District of
Virginia for the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Americans Sotloff,
Kassig, Mueller, and Foley, as well as three British citizens;
Whereas, under Democratic and Republican presidents, the United States has
successfully freed more than 120 Americans from unjust captivity abroad;
Whereas President Joe Biden's July 2022 Executive Order 14078 (relating to
bolstering efforts to bring hostages and wrongfully detained United
States nationals home) declared that hostage taking and the wrongful
detention of United States nationals constitute an unusual and
extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and
economy of the United States; and
Whereas the targeting of United States nationals for use as political pawns by
nation states is a grave threat to the security of United States
nationals traveling abroad, seeks to hold the United State Government
hostage, and strains international stability: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) stands with all those who have been taken hostage or
wrongfully detained, those who have been released, and the
families and friends who fight for their freedom;
(2) prioritizes the return of all innocent United States
nationals targeted for kidnapping or wrongful detention abroad
and will continue to take all necessary steps to secure the
release of Americans and deter our adversaries from using
Americans as tools for their geopolitical ambitions;
(3) acknowledges the need to continue working with allies
and partners to develop a coordinated approach to deter and
prevent international hostage-taking;
(4) condemns the practice of targeting and wrongfully
detaining Americans in order to threaten American sovereignty
and interfere with United States foreign policy;
(5) supports efforts to ensure that the United States
Government hostage enterprise is properly resourced and
authorized to address the evolving dynamic of hostage-taking
and wrongful detention, including through the Hostage Response
Group at the National Security Council, the Hostage Recovery
Fusion Cell, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage
Affairs, and supporting departments and agencies to speed the
safe return of United States nationals held hostage abroad and
deter future hostage-taking;
(6) commends the personnel, past and present, of the
hostage enterprise who have endeavored to faithfully execute
the mission of recovering Americans unjustly held captive
abroad; and
(7) recognizes August 19, 2014, as a solemn remembrance of
this national security threat and the United States
Government's sacred obligation to protect United States
nationals abroad from being taken captive unjustly.
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