The Media Line Condemns Brutal Murder of Steven Sotloff
The Media Line condemns the brutal murder of its colleague Steven Sotloff at the hands of ISIS killers. We are proud to have had Steven write for The Media Line and honor his integrity and dedication to journalism and humanity. The Media Line extends our deepest sympathies to Steven’s family. A dual US-Israeli citizen, Steven was ahead of the pack in reading events, present and future, in the Middle East. Many of his observations recorded for The Media Line as far back as 2012, form the nexus of today’s headlines, including warnings of the very threat that took his life. Steven’s extensive travels throughout the Middle East were motivated by his fascination and admiration for the region, and his respect for the citizens of the Arab world. Islamic State released a video that shows the beheading of Sotloff, who went missing in Syria about a year ago. Sotloff filed often for The Media Line, Time, Foreign Policy and other publications. The White House confirmed that Sotloff, 31, was murdered by the same masked man who killed fellow-journalist James Foley last month. In the video, the masked man says “I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy toward the Islamic State.” As in the Foley video, Sotloff is dressed in an orange jumpsuit, and is on his knees in a desert, presumably along the border of Iraq and Syria. Sotloff went missing in Syria a year ago, and was believed to be held together with Foley and several other Americans. The news of Sotloff’s brutal killing comes after his mother made an emotional plea for her son’s life in a video last week. The Islamic State fighters said they would kill a British citizen, David Cawthorne Haines, next, if there is no change in US policy.
