On Monday, 28/11/2005, four members of the Christian Peacemakers Team (CPT) were kidnapped by an armed group in Iraq. The team was in a humanitarian mission to Iraq. The kidnappers threatened to kill CPT members if the American government did not release Iraqi prisoners.

The Christian Peacemaker Organization operates in many countries including Iraq, Columbia, Mexico, Canada, USA, and Palestine. Palestinians have known the team for their peaceful humanitarian work in Hebron, starting before 1995.

The GCMHP respects all human rights work dedicated to resisting and bearing witness to foreign occupation.

Such practices of kidnappings of human rights activists distort the image of the Iraqis commitment to peace and their struggle against foreign occupation, guaranteed under international law.

We denounce the kidnapping of the four Americans, and continuing threats to take their lives. The Gaza Community Health Programme demands the release of the four members of the Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq.

We demand all human rights organizations and people of conscience to intervene and work for the immediate release of the four activists of the Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq so they can continue to practice their human rights work.