Kidnappers lower ransom demand

THE AUNT of a Cypriot businessman kidnapped in Iraq on August 21 has pleaded with his employer to do everything in his power to get him out.

Garabet Jean Jikerjian, 40, was kidnapped from his home in Baghdad on August 21.
A video was released of Jikerjian, who also holds Lebanese nationality, with a hooded gunman pointing an automatic weapon at him. Jikerjian, was seen pleading for his life, calling for the company he worked for to pull out of Iraq.

The kidnappers have referred to themselves as “The Group for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice”.

The company duly pulled out, but the gunmen then demanded $20,000 for his release. The sum was paid, but still the gunmen refused to release him, raising their demand to $2 million.

On Sunday, they came down to $500,000, Jikerjian’s aunt Rita told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.

“The kidnappers have reduced their demands from $2 million to $500,000 and as of Sunday they gave us four days to pay the money. I am calling on the governments involved in this crisis to put pressure on the owner of the company my nephew is working for.

“Garebet’s boss promised my sister on her deathbed that he would always look after her children and now he has to live up to that promise. My sister used to be his secretary and the backbone of his company and now he needs to put his hand on his heart and repay his promise to her son, the son that he sent to Iraq.

“If anything happens to my nephew, he will have his blood on his hands.”

She added, “The government in Cyprus and the Foreign Ministry are doing whatever they can to ensure the safe return of Garabet and so basically we are all just waiting in hope.”