Terry Waite

Terry Waite with Riz Khan

Church envoy turned hostage Terry Waite’s successful efforts to release hostages in Iran and Libya led him to Lebanon, where he was kidnapped himself and held captive for almost five years. He now works for reconciliation in the Middle East.

 
After years of working with the Anglican church in Africa and Europe, he was recruited to be an advisor to the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1980. But Terry Waite came to international prominence when he took on the task of negotiating the release of several hostages from Iran, and then negotiating in 1983 with Libya’s Moammar Ghadafi for the successful release of British hostages held there.

 

In January 1987, while trying to free Western hostages in Lebanon, Waite himself was taken captive and he was held for 1,763 days – the first four years of which were spent in total solitary confinement. His captors accused him of being an American spy, unwittingly or not, due to his contact with US Marine Colonal Oliver North, who headed a covert arms-for-hostages deal with Iran.

 

Following his release in November 1991, Waite turned to writing, lecturing and humanitarian activities. Now approaching 70, he is involved with a number of charities in Britain, South Africa and Kosovo. He also recently co-founded Hostage UK, an organisation designed to give support to the families of hostage.