Al-Kaida Earned Millions of Dollars on Ransoms
2March 10, 2014 by Aleksandra Łuczak
This post has been prepared by Kamila Dudzic from Kozminski University
UN Safety Council in its Monday’s resolution unanimously summoned the governments to refuse to pay ransoms to the hostages kept by the extremists
from the groups such as Al-Kaida.
The initiator of the resolution was Great Britain. The UN British ambassador Mark Lyall Grant declared, that for 3,5 years the groups related to Al-Kaida have earned at least 105 mln dollars on ransoms.
The aim of the resolution is increasing political pressure on governments; the document does not inflict any new legal obligations, as according to the anti-terrorist agreement of 2001 governments should seize to pay ransoms.
As the document states, all the member states “should prevent the terrorists from obtaining any direct or indirect advantages from ransoms or
political compromises “.
This is the first resolution calling the countries to cooperate in this matter with private sector, which includes companies, the employees of which are being kidnapped for ransom.
The British ambassador explained, that the main idea consists in efforts to prevent “ransoms from being seen as lucrative business model ” which
will eliminate financial sources of terrorism.
The countries which refuse to pay ransoms for hostages are USA and Great Britain, yet it is being practiced by some European governments – writes the Reuters.
What’s your opinion?
Have your say!
Category ethics, human liberties, terrorism, UK | Tags:
There’s nothing in U.S. policy that restricts family members or private companies — like a shipping company — to actually pay a ransom. There’s nothing that the U.S. government can do other than potentially to prosecute if that money is going to a known terrorist organization, which is a fine line, so as far as financial discrepancy between terrorists and members of the families of kidnapped will stay as big as now allowing the families to pay ransoms for their family members without governmental financial support, the policy on ransom that USA or GB have is somehow useless; bottom line that policy’s idea is great, but it just can’t be executed well enough to work well.
It is really hard to decide what to think about this situation. If someone keeps a member of my family as a hostage I will pay every money just to save them. This is a natural impulse. On the other hand if we pay terrorists, they will continue to do this because it is profitable for them.
I think the best option will be to prolong negotiations and try to rescue hostages but it is really hard to say anything if I was never in the situation like this.