Quotes from kidnapped, tortured and decapitated Canadian citizens John Ridsdel and Robert Hall

"My specific appeal is to the Canadian government who I know has the capacity to get us out of here. I wonder what they are waiting for.”

“I know there’s people that can find a way to do this,” he said in one clip, released a few weeks after the kidnappings. “Please, please help us.” 

“To the Canadian Prime Minister and to the Canadian people in the world, please do as needed to meet their demands within one month or they kill me, they will execute us.”

Canadian citizens John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, (quotes above) were kidnapped in the Philippines (along with two citizens of other countries) and then decapitated after approximately nine months of captivity, when ransoms of $8 million each were not paid.  To protect Canadian citizens abroad, Ottawa requires a much more effective policy than “no ransom.”  Citizens of every country need to know there is an international plan to free them should terrorists kidnap them for ransom and torture.  I am requesting that Canada as a member state of the United Nations take forward a proposal for an international, UN coordinated Special Force to be sent out to free citizens kidnapped for ransom and torture around the world. 

The lives of the families and friends of these murdered Canadian men, are now changed forever.  Bob Hall was my cousin and a dearly loved member of our family.  His Carpe Diem motto for life spurns me forward to act to prevent such a horror descending on any other citizens or families.  

Our governments are saying, currently they cannot do anything except to say no to paying ransoms.  Let's guide them to a plan that will allow them to quickly  bring home their kidnapped citizens   All governments can and must put an international plan into place through the UN to rescue kidnapped victims of terrorists.

Bullying (kidnapping for terror and ransom) only stops when firm action is taken against it.  Kidnappers denied their ransom won’t stop because there will always be another victim to kidnap.  If the bully is cruel enough to the first victim, the second victim will be terrified and try to figure out how to save his/her life as will his/her family. Fear is the bully’s primary weapon.  International attention feeds the need of terrorists to feel powerful, even as ransoms provide money for their operations.  

Terrorists have ill-informed and unrealistic views of first world citizens’ access to money.  This lack of understanding highlights why just saying no to ransoms being paid will not stop them.  They think if their actions are terrifying enough – beheading executions shown around the world on the internet – the next victim will pay up – as well their families might.  The world community needs to make the action of kidnapping the immediate trigger for an international rescue response.   This will tell terrorists that kidnapping is no longer profitable and downright dangerous to them.  

What can be done?   First I agree: no ransom. But that alone is a pitifully ineffective response if the goal is to stop terrorists kidnapping individuals.  There are lots of other citizens for these international thugs to kidnap, terrorize, and murder to generate media attention.  Over and over governments have proven without an international agreement they can do little that is effective to free their kidnapped citizens. A plan is needed now to allow governments to extract kidnapped citizens when the government of the country in which the terrorists are operating is unable to do this.   To respect each country’s sovereign rights and to effectively free kidnapped citizens, a UN Special Forces group must be deployed immediately upon receiving a kidnap communication. 

The responsibility for the UN to play this role is outlined in the following two statements from the UN Charter under Purposes and Principles. 

 The third statement is:

- “To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.”

 The fourth statement reads:
- “To be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.”

 Consider the merit of:

·       -a United Nations, international agreement that a country can contribute to or provide the resources needed to free their citizens,

·       -under the co-coordinating guidance of UN personnel,

·       -with terms setting out the role of the host country and the country intent on freeing its citizens

·       -and employing a  special UN force, specifically trained and focused on freeing kidnapped citizens.

 The purpose of this action would be two-fold: 

·       To bring citizens back to their home country when kidnapped and held for ransom as quickly as possible.

·       To stop the threat of kidnapping for ransom, because the terrorist organization will not receive money, their victims will be freed and their organization will be hurt in the process of the kidnapped citizens being freed.     

 Bullies only stop when they are stopped.

Who is trained to do this?

·       Canada has an outstanding Special Forces unit trained among their many skills to free kidnapped citizens.  

·       The United States has the world renown SEALS.  

·       The United Kingdom has the UKSF (United Kingdom Special Forces).  

·       Common to all these groups and Special Forces in other countries is a commitment to stopping terrorists and to protecting their citizens. 

We have the skills, knowledge and forces who could participate in the UN Special Forces unit.  We just need the political will from countries around the world to form a UN agreement to bring this plan into action. 

How do we get an international United Nations agreement started?  Only official representative of Member States can initiate this.  We need every member state of the United Nations to work together to begin and finish this process.  Send this along to the head of your government, your elected representative, and the head of all political parties in your country.  You are telling each of them that you expect them to initiate and support a UN Special Forces unit to be employed whenever and wherever people are kidnapped for ransom and torture.

Thank you for signing this petition.  It is being forwarded to the Prime Minister of the Canadian, Canada's Foreign Affairs, Elizabeth May, leader of Canada's Green Party, my MP Honorable Gord Johns and Canada's permanent Mission to the United Nations .  

Please also send it to your Facebook, Twitter, and email associates.  Send it out as broadly to your global world community as you can.  This request for protection for all citizens of the world can happen with your voice added.  The wider its distribution, the more likely it will have the mass of signatures needed for political change.   I believe our leaders will heartily support this request, if we can show them their citizens are behind it.

Thank you. Lois Eaton