ICC Note:

Following the release of a video showing Indian Priest Tom Uzhunnalil, a captive of ISIS, India has claimed it will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to secure the release of the captive Christian. In March, Father Tom was captured by ISIS in Yemen during a raid on a home for the elderly run by the Catholic Church. In the video released by ISIS, Father Tom claimed that because he was not from Europe or America, efforts to secure his release have not achieved his release already. Will Father Tom be released soon? 

12/28/2016 India (Daily Mail) – In a series of tweets posted on Tuesday, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj stressed that India would leave no stone unturned in the fight to secure the release of Indian Christian priest Tom Uzhunnalil in the captivity of ISIS in Yemen.

The minister was responding to a video that emerged on Monday on social media of Uzhunnalil, also known as Father Tom, a priest from Kerala abducted in Yemen nine months ago.

A fatigued Uzhunnalil in a grey sweat shirt with his grey beard and hair can be seen sitting in front of a beige and pink floral printed curtain in an unknown location in the video.

‘I have seen the video from Fr Tom. He is an Indian citizen and the life of every Indian is most precious for us.

‘We got Fr Alex Prem Kumar and Judith D’Souza released from Afghanistan. We have spared no effort and we will spare no effort to secure Fr Uzhunnalil’s release from captivity,’ Swaraj wrote on Twitter.

The minister was responding to the video message where the the priest was seen making emergency appeal, saying that neither the Indian government, nor the Church or the Pope have come to his rescue.

Uzhunnalil had been working with a church in the port city of Aden for several years, from where he was abducted by suspected ISIS militants on March 4.

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