Peru on Saturday strongly condemned the beheading of American journalist James Foley by extremist Islamist militants, calling it "an abominable crime".
"The Peruvian government condemns strongly the abominable crime perpetrated against the American journalist James Foley by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) (now called Islamist state), the Andean country's Foreign Ministry said in an statement.
Likewise, the ministry expressed its deep sympathy and condolences to the family and colleagues of the American journalist and reaffirmed once again, the country's commitment to respect human rights.
Therefore, it reiterated its categorical rejection of all terrorist and aggression acts against religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria, as well as any violation to the right to life and bodily integrity.
"This barbaric act demonstrating irrational limits of political-religious bigotry is an intolerable challenge to the civilized coexistence of mankind and should prompt the most emphatic rejection response of the international community," the Foreign Ministry added.
A video of Foley's beheading was posted online Tuesday by ISIS. In the nearly five-minute video, the group declares that Foley was condemned to die in retaliation for U.S. President Barack Obama's ordering of air strikes against ISIS positions in northern Iraq.
Earlier Wednesday, the White House said that the video showing the beheading of Foley had been authenticated by the US intelligence community.
(END) NDP/VVS/DLG
Published: 8/23/2014