White House to announce changes to U.S. hostage policy

Following a long review of the U.S. government's treatment of hostages overseas, Obama is set to announce changes to U.S. hostage policy on Wednesday. In a move to improve, clarify, and standardize U.S. interactions with families of American hostage victims, the White House will make it clear that while the longstanding federal prohibition on negotiating with captors will remain, the government will no longer threaten criminal prosecution against families that attempt to pay ransom or communicate with captors. The updated policy also includes the creation of a new office to work with families to better ensure the safe return of American hostages.

These policy changes follow complaints about and criticism of Obama's policies from the families of hostages. With the uptick in hostage situations following the rise of the Islamic State, families have voiced concerns about U.S. policies, which they say were confusing and caused them to feel "bullied, neglected, and trapped in a bureaucratic vortex of low-level officials," The New York Times reports.

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