Six years ago, in August 2014, the American journalist James Wright Foley was executed by militant Islamists after twenty months in captivity in Syria. Since 2008, Foley had made it his mission to tell the personal stories of people living and fighting for their survival in the various war zones of the Middle East. He wanted to familiarise the public with and document how war affects their lives and culture.
His fellow prisoners remember a man who, despite being regularly subjected to the brutal punishments of his captors, still found ways to comfort and encourage them. After his death, James Foley’s family worked in many ways to preserve his memory and legacy.
Through the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation , they successfully advocated with President Obama and US policymakers to ensure that other American hostages and their families can count on direct and well-coordinated support from their own government and that journalists working in conflict zones receive better training and more effective protection. Artist Bradley McCallum has compiled a selection of photographs collected by James Foley during his work and stored on several external hard drives. McCallum has thus created a series of artworks that honour Foley’s work in a special way.
In 2016, Foley’s friend, director and filmmaker Brian Oakes, created an award-winning portrait of James and his dedication as a conflict journalist. The film also reconstructs Foley’s time in captivity through interviews with his family and friends, as well as his fellow prisoners.
Susanne Berger (Washington D.C.) remembers a journalist who was characterised by extraordinary courage and special compassion in a moving contribution in the Fritz Bauer Library with many original quotes and background information.
Click here for the article in the Fritz Bauer Library
