James Foley's parents lead vigil on Marquette campus

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A vigil for Marquette alumnus James Foley, captured in Syria by unidentified gunmen last November, was held Friday, April 5th on the Marquette campus.

The vigil began at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Family, located inside the Alumni Memorial Union (1442 W. Wisconsin Ave.).

The Marquette community was joined by Foley’s parents, Diane and John Foley, to appeal for the safety and release of their son during the vigil. Foley, Arts ’96, was working as a freelance journalist in northwest Syria for GlobalPost reporting on the civil war in the country. His whereabouts are currently unknown.

April 5th is the two-year anniversary of Foley being captured by the Libyan government, which held him as a captive in a Tripoli jail for 45 days in 2011. He was in the country reporting on the growing hostilities between rebels and the regime of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Foley was set free following an international campaign spearheaded by his friends from Marquette, former colleagues at Teach For America, and family and childhood friends in New Hampshire. Community members can show their support by signing an online petition for his release at www.freejamesfoley.org.

Foley spoke about his experience as a captive in Libya in December 2011 during a visit to Marquette. Portions of his presentation, along with a letter he wrote to the Marquette community after his release in Libya, are available online.