Text of statement of Mary Beth Carroll, the mother of kidnapped journalist Jill Carroll, as she read on an American cable news network:
My daughter Jill Carroll was taken hostage on Saturday, January 7th, in Baghdad, where she works as a reporter. Jill's fairness in reporting and her genuine concern for the Iraqi people made her the invited and welcome guest of her many Iraqi friends.
A video just released gives us hope that she's still alive but has also shaken us about her fate.
So I, her father and her sister, are appealing directly to her captors to release this young woman who has worked so hard to show the sufferings of Iraqis to the world.
Jill has always shown the highest respect for the Iraqi people and their customs. We hope that her captors will show Jill the same respect in return. Taking vengeance on my innocent daughter, who loves Iraq and its people, will not create justice.
To her captors, I say that Jill's welfare depends upon you, and so we call upon you to ensure that Jill is returned safely to her family, who needs her and loves her.
Jill's father, sister and I ask and encourage the persons holding our daughter to work with Jill to find a way to contact us with the honorable intent of discussing her release.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox