James Charles Harold Janson (6 September 1975 – 4 September 2019) was a British aid worker who joined the People's Protection Units (YPG) in May 2017[1] and fought against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Raqqa and the Turkish Armed Forces/Syrian National Army in Afrin.[2]
Jamie Janson | |
|---|---|
 Janson in Erbil | |
| Born | James Charles Harold Janson 6 September 1975 Paddington, Greater London |
| Died | 4 September 2019 (aged 43) London |
| Education | Eton College |
| Known for | Fighting alongside the YPG |
| Relatives |
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Biography
editJanson was born in Paddington, the son of Martin Janson and his wife Mary Balfour, a daughter of Harold Balfour, 1st Baron Balfour of Inchrye by his marriage to a sister of the disgraced Conservative politician John Profumo.[3] On his father's side, Janson was a grandson of Elizabeth Sutherland, 24th Countess of Sutherland.[4] Educated at Eton College, he worked as a volunteer in refugee camps[5] all over Europe and the Middle East, including the Calais Jungle, where he taught English.[4] Janson wrote a number of articles about his experiences working with refugees.[6]
He also spent some years as a film maker, producing videos for activist organisations, including the Green Party, Object, and NO2ID.[7] He wrote and directed a number of short films[8] and a pilot episode of a comedy series called 'Be Well', based in a therapy clinic.[9]
Janson joined the YPG after spending time working in Mosul, distributing medical aid and clean water. What he saw there moved him to take the next step and travel to Syria to join the Kurds to defend Rojava against ISIS.[2] He fought in the liberation of Raqqa, then in January 2017, when Turkey invaded the Kurdish town of Afrin, just over the Syrian border, Janson decided to stay with the YPG to fight this new threat, despite knowing that fighting a NATO ally could cause problems if he wanted to return to Europe.[2]
Janson appeared in YPG propaganda videos, including one condemning what he perceived as Western inaction during the Turkish-led Afrin offensive of 2018.[10] He was interviewed for several print articles and by the BBC.[2][11] Interviews with him also feature in the BBC documentary "Anna, the woman who went to fight ISIS",[12] about the British YPJ fighter, Anna Campbell who died in the Afrin assault.
Upon his return to Britain in 2018, Janson was arrested in Kent under section 5 of the Terrorism Act.[13] He was still under investigation at the time of his death sixteen months later,[14] although no former YPG volunteers have been successfully prosecuted by the British government.[15]
Janson died on 4 September 2019, taking his own life after a long struggle with mental illness.[14][5] He was buried in the grounds of Dunrobin Castle, Golspie, Scotland, the seat of the Earls of Sutherland.
References
edit- ^ Ensor, Josie; Dixon, Hayley (26 January 2018). "Aristocratic relative of John Profumo says fighting Turkish army in Syria will make him 'black sheep'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d "'I hope I haven't killed anyone'". BBC News. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ Ensor, Josie; Sawer, Patrick (2 May 2018). "Profumo nephew Jamie Janson arrested returning to Britain after fighting in Syria". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Tragic death of Countess of Sutherland's grandson". Northern Times. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ a b Defence Correspondent, Lucy Fisher (14 September 2019). "Jamie Janson, Profumo relative who fought Isis in Syria, kills himself". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "The terror and trauma of life as a Syrian refugee". CapX. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- ^ "phemefilms". Retrieved 1 October 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Jamie Janson". IMDb. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "Be Well Episode 1 – Sue". Retrieved 1 October 2019 – via Vimeo.
- ^ Internationalist Jamie Janson: "The human cost is enormous, the destruction indescriminate.", retrieved 23 September 2019
- ^ "BBC World Service – Newshour, Syrian town of Afrin on 'edge of disaster'". BBC. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "BBC Two – Anna: The Woman Who Went to Fight ISIS". BBC. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "John Profumo's grand-nephew arrested by terror police after fighting against Isis in Syria". The Independent. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ a b Evans, Martin (13 September 2019). "John Profumo's great nephew, who fought against Isil, dies 16-months after returning from Syria". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- ^ "British man who fought Isis in Syria faces retrial over terror charges". The Independent. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.