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Kenji Goto
Independent Press
In Syria
Japanese video journalist and writer Kenji Goto knew the hazards of war reporting. In one incident, an Iraqi soldier held a gun to his head, and in 2012, he was captured by terrorists linked to al-Qaida and later released. For more than two decades, Goto reported on children living in conflict zones, from child soldiers in Sierra Leone to schoolgirls in Afghanistan. While covering Syria's civil war, Goto reported on refugees fleeing the violence and trained locals in reporting techniques. In October 2014, he returned to Syria to report on ISIS and to try to secure the release of his friend Haruna Yukawa, who had been kidnapped by the terrorist group. Weeks later, Goto's wife received an email from the terrorists demanding a ransom for her husband's release. Despite efforts to free the men, ISIS executed them both, releasing a video of Goto's beheading in January 2015. He was 47. |