An appeal for the release of the South Korean aid workers

The following is a global appeal from Avaaz (founded by Ricken Patel and Tom Perriello, who have commented for this site) for the Taliban to release the Korean hostages unharmed.  They remind us that "global pressure helped free BBC reporter Alan Johnston from his captivity in Gaza." Please take a moment to read it (they have accumulated 10,000 signatories already and are seeking 50,000.)

Dear friends, 23 South Korean aid workers, most of them young women, have just been taken hostage by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, who are threatening to execute them this week. The situation is desperate, but there is hope. The Taliban are all from the 'Pashtun' ethnic group, and observe a strict code called Pashtunwali – the "way of the Pashtuns". This code demands, above all else: "hospitality to all, especially guests and strangers". There are rumours of infighting among the Taliban over these kidnappings, because they clearly violate the code.

A global outcry for the Taliban to follow their own code would certainly be covered by media in Afghanistan and Pakistan where the Taliban are based. Sign the petition below, forward this email, and let's report a truly powerful outcry to local journalists: http://www.avaaz.org/en/honour_the_afghan_code
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Pashtunwali has real power among ordinary people in Afghanistan. In 2003 Bettina Goislard, 29, was shot by Taliban gunmen while she was working for the UN High Commission for Refugees in the town of Ghazni, near where the Korean aid workers were kidnapped. Incensed by her murder, local people chased down the gunmen and beat them before handing them over to the police -- then they gathered up her body and marched several hundred miles to Kabul to show their sorrow to the world.

Recently, global pressure helped free BBC reporter Alan Johnston from his captivity in Gaza. It can be amazing what happens when we speak together around the world. So let's try our best, for these 23 young people and their families, and the millions of Afghans who need their aid -- With hope,

Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Tom, Paul and the rest of the Avaaz Team