Video may show CARE director being killed

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Nov. 16, 2004 | Baghdad, Iraq --
Al-Jazeera television said Tuesday it received a videotape showing the slaying of a woman believed to be hostage Margaret Hassan. Hassan's family in London said they believed she was dead.

A statement from Hassan's four brothers and sisters was released by Britain's Foreign Office.

"Our hearts are broken," it said. "We have kept hoping for as long as we could, but we now have to accept that Margaret has probably gone and at last her suffering has ended."

Hassan, 59, country director in Iraq for the charity CARE International, was kidnapped by armed men who stopped her car as she was going to work in Baghdad on Oct. 19.

The station planned to broadcast parts of the video later Tuesday. Jihad Ballout, Al-Jazeera spokesman, said the station received the tape a few days ago but held off airing it until it was convinced the woman was Hassan.

Hassan held British, Irish and Iraqi nationality, was married to an Iraqi and had lived in Iraq for 30 years.

The family's statement did not indicate why they now believed Hassan was dead, but said: "Those who are guilty of this atrocious act, and those who support them, have no excuses.

"Nobody can justify this. Margaret was against sanctions and the war.

"To commit such a crime against anyone is unforgivable.

"But we cannot believe how anybody could do this to our kind, compassionate sister.

"The gap she leaves will never be filled."

Videos of Hassan in captivity were released over the last few weeks, but no group had claimed responsibility for her abduction. In two of the videos, Hassan pleaded for her life, saying she feared she would be beheaded.

The Foreign Office said it did not immediately have any comment beyond the relatives' statement. A spokesman declined to comment on media reports that a videotape showing Hassan's murder had been found.

In the statement, the family said Hassan "was a friend of the Arab world, to people of all religions."

"For the past 30 years, Margaret worked tirelessly for the Iraqi people," the statement added.

"Margaret had only goodwill towards everyone. She had no prejudice against any creed. She dedicated her whole life to working for the poor and vulnerable, helping those who had no one else."

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