The US government will stop threatening criminal prosecution of families who try to pay ransoms to win the release of American hostages held by militant groups overseas, according to media reports.
The White House on Wednesday will announce the results of a six-month review of how the government works with families of hostages, an administration official told Reuters on Tuesday, declining comment on the details of the review.
Citing an unnamed senior administration official, the New York Times reported that Obama, in a presidential directive and an executive order, plans to keep a longstanding American government prohibition on making concessions to hostage-takers.
But the New York Times reported that Obama has decided the US government can communicate and negotiate with those holding Americans or assist family members aiming to do so to gain their safe return.
Some families of US hostages, including those who have been killed by hostage takers in captivity, have been sharply critical of US government policies toward handling hostage situations. Only 24 of 82 families the White House reached out to participated in the review process, according to Foreign Policy.
US officials have told the families of hostages taken by groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida that the American “no-concessions” policy prohibited them even from talking about possible terms of release and that families could face criminal charges for offering ransom.
The changes to be announced in the review will also include the creation of a new government-wide hostage recovery fusion center at the FBI, Foreign Policy reported.
