The sister of John Cantlie, the British journalist being held hostage by Islamic State (Isis) in Syria, has made a moving appeal for his captors to release him.
Jessica Cantlie called on those holding her brother to reopen dialogue, saying: “We implore IS [Isis] to reinitiate direct contact.”
Her brother has been held prisoner by Isis militants for almost two years after entering the country as a freelance journalist.
In a statement issued on Monday night, she said she was speaking as the head of the Cantlie family because her father, Paul, was terminally ill and incapacitated.
“In the recent ‘broadcast’ of Lend Me Your Ears and within your online publication Dabiq, John’s words are powerful and have huge resonance.
“It is not true to say that there has been no attempt to engage with IS. It is simply not accurate. This is frustrating for all parties, including those who are trying to assist us. We had previously been in contact through a channel started by you, but then this stopped for reasons best known to you. Sadly, like the families of David Haines and Alan Henning before they were killed, our efforts at re-opening dialogue continue to be ignored by those holding John,” Jessica said.
Her statement added: “We strongly challenge those holding John to return to your previously opened channel, to which we continue to send messages and await your response so that in keeping with everyone’s wishes, we can restart dialogue. We implore IS to reinitiate direct contact.”
John Cantlie has appeared in four online videos released by his captors. Wearing an orange jumpsuit like prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, he has delivered propaganda messages in each film in a bid to save his life.
The freelance journalist from Haslemere, Surrey has worked for news organisations including the Sunday Times in Syria.
It is the second time that he has found himself in the hands of militants in Syria. He was rescued from kidnappers in 2012, but four months later chose to return to the country, where he was abducted a second time and sold on to Isis.
While the photographer’s first ordeal lasted just seven days, this time he has been held for 22 months, probably near Raqqa, the group’s stronghold in the north of the country.
During his time in captivity, Cantlie has seen several fellow hostages set free after their governments agreed to pay millions of dollars in ransom. Cantlie is thought to have been abducted as he attempted to leave the country, along with the American journalist James Foley.
The pair are understood to have been kidnapped after leaving an internet cafe in a town near the Turkish border. At some point they were passed on to Isis militants.
