[JURIST] US President Barack Obama [official website] announced [press release] Wednesday that the government will no longer threaten litigation against families of US hostages who attempt to pay ransoms for the release of their loved ones. Obama plans [NYT report] to make this change a part of a larger overhaul of US policy on recovering hostages. He said that although the policy to not negotiate with hostage takers will remain intact, the new policy will allow the government to talk to them and aid families in doing the same. In the release Obama stated:

Of these more than 80 Americans taken hostage since 9/11, more than half have ultimately come home, some after many years. Tragically, too many others have not. And at this very moment, Americans continue to be held by terrorist groups or detained unjustly by foreign governments. For them, the nightmare goes on… These families have already suffered enough, and they should never feel ignored or victimized by their own government. Diane Foley, whose son Jim was killed by ISIL last year, said, “As Americans, we can do better.” I totally agree. We must do better. And that’s why I ordered a comprehensive review of our hostage policy.

A fact sheet [text] released by the White House noted the new Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell [FBI press release] will improve how the government develops hostage recovery plans, tracks developments in specific cases, shares information with families, and provides information to Congress and the media.

The changes clarify the US’s approach to hostage situations, for which it has received criticism in the past. In May 2014 Republicans accused Obama of breaking the law when he swapped [Miami Herald report] five high-ranking Taliban officials in Guantanamo [JURIST backgrounder] for the release of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. However, families have been told that similar practices are not possible with hostages held captive by the likes of ISIS [JURIST backgrounder] and Al Qaeda [BBC backgrounder], as the “no concessions” policy continues to apply. Families have also been given conflicting information regarding those taken hostage. After Theo Padnos was kidnapped [NY Times report] in October 2012 by Al Qaeda, his mother was told by the US Department of State [official website] that she would be prosecuted if she attempted to pay the ransom, while the FBI [official website] offered to help her execute such a transaction.