Ransom Policy: U.S. To Stop Threatening Families Of American Hostages

The old ransom policy “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” is common knowledge, yet it often confuses people dealing with real hostage situations, even within the government. In the worst interpretations, officials threatened families with criminal prosecution should they pay a ransom themselves.

Now, President Obama hopes to fix the admittedly broken system, centralizing authority with the FBI and never threatening or abandoning families again.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, aid worker Warren Weinstein was killed in a U.S. drone strike while being held hostage by ISIS. The intelligence failures surrounding the aid worker’s death prompted a charge to review and reform the government’s hostage policies, led by Weinstein’s congressional representative John Delaney.

One senior administration official anonymously told the New York Times the review exposed serious problems with the policy.

“There was tremendous confusion… We needed to clarify that even as we have a no-concessions policy, we do not abandon families during a horrific ordeal.”

The official added that the threats of criminal prosecution “should never have happened.”

Despite the threats, no family was actually prosecuted for breaking the no-concessions rule.

The public is likely confused over the hostage ransom deals as well.

The government did negotiate with the Taliban for the release of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, swapping five Taliban leaders for the American hostage. Nevertheless, the same deal wouldn’t be possible with groups like Al Qaeda or ISIS.

In any case, President Obama announced ransom policy changes to ensure the government will share classified information when necessary and even communicate with terrorists for families seeking their loved one’s release, according to the Washington Post.

NPR reports that White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest gave some explanation for why the policy changes are necessary.

“The sense… was that the administration could be more effective in delivering clear information, in some cases instructions, to the families of those who were going through this terrible ordeal. So the sense was, this was a process that could be improved.”

Theo Padnos exemplified the government’s ineffectiveness in “delivering clear information.” The State Department told Padnos’ mother, Nancy Curtis, that she would be prosecuted if she paid a ransom to Al Qaeda, which had held her son hostage for two years before releasing him in the summer.

All the while, the FBI was offering to help Curtis carry out the ransom transaction.

Although the government is becoming more flexible with families, Earnest insisted that the federal no-concession policy was not negotiable.

“The President does continue to believe it’s important for the United States of America to adhere closely to a no-concessions policy. That is a policy that was not under review in this process.”

The last part of the government policy change involves what is being called a “fusion cell” for coordinating hostage intelligence.

The fusion cell will be housed within the FBI, and will coordinate with all parts of government involved and communicate with families.

Congressman Duncan Hunter said the fusion cell did not go far enough.

“The FBI is not organized or developed for hostage recovery in hostile areas, yet they are leading the fusion cell. Wholesale changes are needed, but what’s being put forward is nothing more than window dressing.”

The White House is expected to release the full review and changes to the hostage-ransom policy on Wednesday.

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