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James Loney | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1964 (age 59–60) |
| Spouse | Dan Hunt |
James Loney (born 1964) is a Canadian peace activist who has worked for several years with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq and Palestine. On November 26, 2005, he was kidnapped in Baghdad along with three others: Harmeet Singh Sooden (Canadian) and Norman Kember (British), both members of the delegation he was leading; and Tom Fox (American), a full-time member of CPT who had been working in Iraq since September 2004. The widely publicized hostage crisis (see Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis) ended on March 23, 2006, when Loney, Kember, and Sooden were freed in a clandestine military operation led by British Special Forces.[1][2] Tom Fox was killed on March 9,[3] two weeks before the release of the other hostages.
While Loney was held as a hostage, his family and partner Dan Hunt withheld the fact of his homosexuality out of fear for his safety. The media was aware of this fact but cooperated in keeping it secret.[4]
He made a brief media appearance on March 30: "I'll take things slowly until I can get through a day without shaking legs and a pounding heart," he said.[5]
- ^ "Military operation frees 2 Canadian hostages in Iraq". CBC News. March 23, 2006.
- ^ "CTV News | Top Stories - Breaking News - Top News Headlines". Ctv.ca. 2014-05-08. Archived from the original on April 20, 2006. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
- ^ "US hostage in Iraq confirmed dead". BBC News. March 11, 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
- ^ The News is Out Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Antonia Zerbisias, Toronto Star, March 27, 2006
- ^ "Return to ordinary life, not so easy, says Loney". CBC. Retrieved 30 March 2006.