UK Envoy Urges Global Action Against Rising State-Sponsored Hostage-Taking

The United Kingdom's newly appointed special envoy for complex consular affairs, Alistair Burt, is spearheading efforts to forge international alliances aimed at combating the growing trend of state hostage-taking. Burt, who assumed the role last month, has indicated that while state hostage-taking is on the rise, collaborative international action can be an effective deterrent.

He has engaged with counterparts from the Five Eyes Group and Gulf states, seeking to strengthen a network of nations impacted by this practice. "I want to advance the international process. Actually preventing this, persuading the states that do it, this is not the way that will bring them any success," Burt stated on Monday. He further elaborated to MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee, "The rise in state hostage-taking has been noticed. That is what has increased international interest in this and how things can be tackled collectively. I’m building that up."

The UK is planning to host a meeting of key hostage envoys from the Five Eyes alliance next year, aiming to enhance the visibility and prominence of the issue. "It would give (the meeting) greater prominence. We would want high-level representation at such a meeting. It would add to the visibility of the UK being extremely concerned about such a practice," Burt explained.

Burt's appointment follows growing demand from families and their parliamentary representatives. The role is designed to offer increased support to families of individuals who have been arbitrarily detained or subjected to harsh treatment in prison, and to advise the government on alternative strategies for securing their release. The American diplomat Roger Carstens, former US presidential envoy for hostage affairs, is recognized as a precedent for this new UK position.

The article references high-profile cases, including that of Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who are imprisoned in Iran on espionage charges, which they and the UK government deny. Their family, who met with Burt, has expressed frustration with the pace of government action. The situation is further complicated by geopolitical tensions, including alleged Iran-backed attacks on British soil.

Burt emphasized that he cannot discuss individual cases publicly without family consent and cautioned that the envoy's role should not overshadow the existing consular services. "Every case is handled by a competent consular team who are already doing everything they can in every circumstance. What would be wrong would be to give an impression that the engagement of the envoy materially changes that," he stated.

This concern was echoed by Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who spent six years in Iran's Evin prison. While welcoming Burt's appointment, she expressed fears that the envoy role could be used as a justification for government inaction. "We don't want to see that the government is hiding behind the fact that now we have got this team, we have got Alistair, we've got this kind of entity which is looking after the families of hostages, but then pretending that that's it, and we can’t do anything else," she remarked in September.

Acknowledging the immense challenges faced by hostage families, Burt concluded, "At the end of all this, there is only one measure of success for the families: they want someone back. It’s the one thing that is outside the gift and the control of the UK. We are not detaining people – others are."