“I forgive you”. The words of Mike Haynes – the brother of the murdered British humanitarian worker David Haynes – seemed to be heard in the courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia.
The intensity of the moment is palpable, as family members of the Western hostages, who were brutally tortured and killed by the so-called “Beatles” of the Islamic State in Syria, finally spent their day in a US court.
One by one, they stand just steps away from the killers of their loved ones and come to the microphone to read the burning, emotional statements of the victims.
Alexanda Kotei, who pleaded guilty to terrorism charges, is sitting and listening in a green prison suit, surrounded by his defense team.
El Shafi Elsheikh, recently convicted, is sitting across from him.
Image: Alexanda Kotei is in prison for life
Read more: OR Beatle Alexandra Kotei sentenced to life in prison for her role in the torture and killing of Western hostages
“Look at me,” Shirley Sotloff urged the two men as she prepared to read a speech on her son, journalist Stephen Sotloff, who was killed by Kotei and Elsheich in 2014.
“Stephen’s life, which was taken so brutally, is beyond comprehension … you ruined our lives,” she tells them.
Image: Journalist Stephen Sotloff was killed by an extremist group
Many family members struggle through tears as they go to court.
Perhaps the most disturbing moment comes when Athena Haynes, the daughter of humanitarian worker David Haynes, broke in front of the microphone.
“I lost my father when I was four,” she said. “It’s not easy to be that kid at school whose father was killed by terrorists.”
Image: Humanitarian David Haynes was among the victims of Islamic State
Martha Müller, the mother of the murdered humanitarian worker Kayla Müller, cannot look at Kotei or Elsheich.
“I wake up several times a night thinking about her,” she says through tears. Her husband Carl holds a gentle hand on her shoulder in support.
“We have no idea how many ISIL leaders have raped our daughter,” Ms Mueller said. “We are not seeking revenge, only the truth.
Image: Carl and Marcia Müller, parents of Kayla Müller, pictured in 2021
Many of these family members do not know what happened to their loved ones in their last moments or where their remains are.
Many of them talk about suffering from insomnia, increased anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, but in their remarkably exciting statements, many of them also talk about hope, unity and forgiveness.
“I choose to let my heart be broken, not broken,” says Paula Cassig, recalling her son, humanitarian Peter Cassig.
For these families, today was not just the day Alexandra Kotei was sentenced to life in prison, it was the end of almost a decade of trial to bring the killers of their loved ones to justice.
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