Diane Foley shares what it was like talking to son's killer: 'I wanted him to know Jim'

ROCHESTER — As hundreds of runners, many who return year after year, gathered for Saturday's eighth annual James Foley Freedom Run in honor of the slain journalist, his mother, Diane, described how his legacy is helping free hostages across the globe.

James Foley was kidnapped by Islamic State extremists on Nov. 22, 2012, in northern Syria. He was killed in Syria in August 2014, and the video of his beheading was posted online.

Amy Coyne, race event organizer, said 700 to 800 runners were in Rochester, and another 800 running virtually across the globe. She said $111,000 had been raised to continue the work of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which works to free hostages held in foreign countries and also to keep journalists safe as they do their work, in often hostile countries.

The race is held in Rochester, where Diane and her husband John Foley lived for 25 years, and where the city in 2021 named its community center for James.

James Foley's killers convicted and sentenced in 2021 and 2022

"This year we have seen a lot of accomplishments, and I believe the beginnings of real accountability," Diane Foley said. "The convictions of the two terrorists who murdered James — Alexanda Kotey and Elshafee El Sheikh — finally happened. We worked with the Department of Justice for eight long years. Both men are now serving life sentences."

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Foley said justice for Jim came about through the hard work of prosecutors and with help from President Joe Biden's administration, who she said is beginning to prioritize the freedom of hostages, recognizing the urgency.

"We had four returned at the beginning of the year and just last week, another six," she said. "We have 55 U.S. nationals still being held. The families work with us, and started the Bring Our Families Home Campaign to work with countries like China, Iran, Venezuela and now Russia. We are their fiscal sponsor and they are doing great work. I am very encouraged."

Diane Foley shares what it was like talking with convicted killer

Foley said she felt compelled to speak with Kotey, and she did, for hours after his conviction. She said it was frightening, but at the same time, she knew she was safe.

"I wanted him to know Jim," she said. "I wanted him to know that in another context, they might have been friends. Jihad beliefs caused them to hate us. Alex expressed remorse for the pain he caused our family. He has also lost things. He will never be free. He lost his citizenship, and he will never see his own family again."

Foley said to create lasting change, the United States must acknowledge its mistakes, too. She pointed to torture and mistreatment at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. She said society needs to find ways to keep the doors of communication open.

"Going forward, I want to see these successes continue," she said. "I applaud every administration that seeks to resolve this."

Foley in the past has both praised and criticized administrations of both major political parties.

Regarding the run on Saturday, Foley said it grows every year and is a way to raise awareness about what happened to her son and what is happening all over the world.

"I applaud the successes, but there are still many challenges," Foley said. "We need to stop people from being taken hostage, tortured, and killed, when their only crime is that they are American."

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Foley Freedom Run is personal for prosecutor

Dennis Fitzpatrick, an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia's Eastern District, one of the prosecutors responsible for the convictions, came to New Hampshire to run in Saturday's event.

"Events here started to unfold in 2012-2013," said Fitzpatrick. "I was assigned to the case through the U.S. attorney's office in Virginia. It was a long haul, but a very worthwhile journey. This was a righteous case, victim-driven from the beginning, and I was so pleased we got convictions."

Fitzpatrick said he came because it felt important to him.

"I think we should never forget," he said. "We need to keep up this legacy."

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Many runners feel the same way.

Russ Kemp, Mimi Kemp and Joshua Burke of Wolfeboro, who attended school with Foley, have run in the race all eight years.

"This is the only race we do, and we do it for Jim," Russ Kemp said.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: James Foley Freedom Run 2022: Diane Foley speaks up for hostages