A labour of love saw Dave Muller spending ten years building a yacht from scratch and in 1990 he set off with his family to fulfil his dream of voyaging to the tropics. Despite years of sailing expertise, they ran aground off Mozambique and were quickly seen by...
An end of year message from our CEO, Lara Symons. As we come to the end of 2024, it offers a moment to reflect on our achievements while highlighting our priorities for next year and beyond…
Former hostages meet up for group support In September 2024, a unique group of individuals joined together for a day to share their experiences and provide mutual support around having been held hostage. Organised by Hostage…
David Haines, a humanitarian worker, was among 26 hostages captured in Syria by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in 2013, before being murdered in September 2014. His daughter, Bethany, was 16 at the…
Bernard, an Irish-French tourism consultant with a love of Iran, was working with a local friend and tourism operator researching a new potential tour of the country when he was picked up by police and taken…
In 2004 our charity was founded in a bid to support the families of hostages, and hostages after they return. As such, 20 years on, this September we held a virtual challenge to help raise funds…
Our CEO, Lara Symons, contributed to a panel event at the UN Human Rights Council on Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations: Building Global Solidarity Against Hostage Diplomacy on 26 June 2024. Speaking on the side event’s…
For this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week our mental health adviser trustee, Stephen Regel, answered some questions around the challenges for families with a loved one taken hostage and what they can do to strive for…
Philippa Grant, who is in her eighties, from Hertfordshire, and her son Craig Grant (43), have talked about their desire to help raise funds for Hostage International so are taking on the 20for20: Challenge for All….
Sam Barnes (25), finished an ultramarathon on 11 May 2024 and in the process raised more than £3,200 for Hostage International. Sponsor Sam here! Moved by the personal experience of his uncle’s death in the In…
Now 70 years old, and just over two years since his release from being wrongfully detained in Iran, Anoosheh Ashoori embarked on his third London Marathon in April– something he could only dream of when imprisoned….
More than 200 Hostage International supporters filled the halls of the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey in London on 7 March 2024 to help highlight the 20th anniversary of the charity. Sir Terry Waite, Judith Tebbutt…
Former hostages Sir Terry Waite KCMG CBE, John McCarthy CBE, Judith Tebbutt and Anoosheh Ashoori, will be joining together in conversation on 7 March 2024 at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey in London, UK, to…
President and co-founder of Hostage International, Sir Terry Waite KCMG CBE, celebrated his knighthood with friends, staff and volunteers from three charities close to his heart – Hostage International, Emmaus and Y-Care. Sir Terry was appointed…
Canadian Robert Hall cashed in his life savings, bought a boat and sailed her halfway across the world to be with the woman he loved. He was a devoted father, brother, grandfather, uncle and a talented…
Yoga is practiced by many across the world, and 21 June is the International Day of Yoga, as proclaimed by the United Nations. To highlight this day, we’ve been speaking with Catie, previously a lawyer, who…
Hostage International’s president and co-founder Sir Terry Waite and chair Phil Bigley OBE have both been included in the King’s Birthday Honours list announced on June 17 in the UK. Former hostage Sir Terry has been…
Since being wrongfully detained in Iran, Anoosheh Ashoori completed his second London Marathon on Sunday 23 April – this time accompanied by his two children Just over a year after his release from being held captive…
Former volunteer caseworker Adam Samuels has completed his hike of the arduous Pennine Way through the Great British weather and raised more than £5,200 in the process, but you can still support him here. Over 16…
This time last year Anoosheh Ashoori was released after nearly five years of captivity in Iran, alongside Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, to return home to the UK. He puts his survival, in part, down to running whilst in…
As part of our bid to increase awareness of Hostage International and the plight of those we assist, we are pleased to announce that Judith Tebbutt has agreed to be a patron for the charity. Jude…
Telling the story of what we do at Hostage International isn’t always easy. We’re small, incredibly niche, and a lot of what we do has to stay below the radar for the safety and anonymity of…
16 January 2013 is a date that Nick Hitch was convinced he would not survive when militants linked to Al-Qaeda attacked the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria where he worked as a manager. A decade on,…
We are delighted to announce that former hostage John McCarthy CBE has joined Hostage International as our first patron. John has supported many of the charity’s events, so was asked by our co-founder and president,…
In the run up to Christmas 2018, Jocelyne’s daughter Edith was captured by an Islamic militant group when travelling with a friend in Burkina Faso. They were held for 450 days. Throughout those 15 months, even…
Hostage International wants to say a huge thank you to Anoosheh and Aryan Ashoori for their marathon efforts to not only raise funds for Hostage International but also help raise the profile of the charity. Anoosheh…
After nearly five years, Anoosheh Ashoori is now free from being held in arbitrary detention in Iran. Alongside his son, Aryan, he trained tirelessly to run the London Marathon in 2022 for Hostage International. Anoosheh spent…
More former hostages are now able to receive bespoke psychological treatment, following a new partnership we’ve forged with Trauma Treatment International (TTI). Thanks to funding from the MSN Family Trust, Hostage International is now able…
Hostage International is always delighted to hear of the release of hostages and we sincerely hope that families will be given privacy, space, and time to be with their loved ones. As a charity that…
This World Book Day we are highlighting books written by those who have experienced the trauma of being taken hostage or having had a loved one taken. Spanning many decades, there has been much research around…
