Jamie Janson
{{Short description|British aid worker (1975–2019)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jamie Janson
| birth_name = James Charles Harold Janson
| image = Hospitalised refugee children in Urban, Iraq.jpg
| caption = Janson in Erbil
| birth_date = 6 September 1975
| birth_place = Paddington, Greater London
| death_date = 4 September 2019 (aged 43)
| death_place = London
| education = Eton College
| known_for = Fighting alongside the YPG
| relatives = {{ubl|Elizabeth Sutherland, 24th Countess of Sutherland (grandmother)|Harold Balfour, 1st Baron Balfour of Inchrye (grandfather)}}
}}
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{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/26/john-profumos-relative-says-fighting-turkish-army-syria-will/|title=Aristocratic relative of John Profumo says fighting Turkish army in Syria will make him 'black sheep'|last1=Ensor|first1=Josie|date=26 January 2018|work=The Telegraph|access-date=23 September 2019|last2=Dixon|first2=Hayley|issn=0307-1235}} and fought against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Raqqa and the Turkish Armed Forces/Syrian National Army in Afrin.
Biography
Janson 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/02/profumo-nephew-arrested-returning-britain-fighting-syria/|title=Profumo nephew Jamie Janson arrested returning to Britain after fighting in Syria|last1=Ensor|first1=Josie|date=2 May 2018|work=The Telegraph|access-date=22 November 2019|last2=Sawer|first2=Patrick|issn=0307-1235}} On his father's side, Janson was a grandson of Elizabeth Sutherland, 24th Countess of Sutherland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.northern-times.co.uk/news/tragic-death-of-countess-of-sutherlands-grandson-183194/|title=Tragic death of Countess of Sutherland's grandson|date=19 September 2019|website=Northern Times|access-date=23 September 2019}} Educated at Eton College, he worked as a volunteer in refugee camps{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/jamie-janson-profumo-relative-who-fought-isis-in-syria-kills-himself-k970rqmdx|title=Jamie Janson, Profumo relative who fought Isis in Syria, kills himself|last=Defence Correspondent|first=Lucy Fisher|date=14 September 2019|work=The Times|access-date=23 September 2019|issn=0140-0460}} all over Europe and the Middle East, including the Calais Jungle, where he taught English. Janson wrote a number of articles about his experiences working with refugees.{{Cite web|url=https://capx.co/the-terror-and-trauma-of-life-as-a-syrian-refugee/|title=The terror and trauma of life as a Syrian refugee|date=9 January 2017|website=CapX|access-date=1 October 2019}}
He also spent some years as a film maker, producing videos for activist organisations, including the Green Party, Object, and NO2ID.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/phemefilms/videos|title=phemefilms|via=YouTube|access-date=1 October 2019}} He wrote and directed a number of short films{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1830587/|title=Jamie Janson|publisher=IMDb|access-date=2 October 2019}} and a pilot episode of a comedy series called 'Be Well', based in a therapy clinic.{{Cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/113762823|title=Be Well Episode 1 – Sue|via=Vimeo|access-date=1 October 2019}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-42841500/british-man-preparing-to-fight-turkish-forces|title='I hope I haven't killed anyone'|publisher=BBC News|date=27 January 2018|access-date=2 October 2019}} 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.
Janson appeared in YPG propaganda videos, including one condemning what he perceived as Western inaction during the Turkish-led Afrin offensive of 2018.{{Citation|title=Internationalist Jamie Janson: "The human cost is enormous, the destruction indescriminate."|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go5HugPBO6Q|access-date=23 September 2019}} He was interviewed for several print articles and by the BBC.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p060y0xy|title=BBC World Service – Newshour, Syrian town of Afrin on 'edge of disaster'|publisher=BBC|access-date=2 October 2019}} Interviews with him also feature in the BBC documentary "Anna, the woman who went to fight ISIS",{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006h6x|title=BBC Two – Anna: The Woman Who Went to Fight ISIS|publisher=BBC|access-date=17 October 2019}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/john-profumo-jamie-janson-isis-ypg-syria-terror-arrested-police-a8334681.html|title=John Profumo's grand-nephew arrested by terror police after fighting against Isis in Syria|date=3 May 2018|website=The Independent|access-date=23 September 2019}} He was still under investigation at the time of his death sixteen months later,{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/13/john-profumos-great-nephew-fought-against-isil-dies-16-months/|title=John Profumo's great nephew, who fought against Isil, dies 16-months after returning from Syria|last=Evans|first=Martin|date=13 September 2019|website=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=23 September 2019}} although no former YPG volunteers have been successfully prosecuted by the British government.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/aidan-james-trial-isis-syria-court-old-bailey-pkk-islamic-state-a8872221.html|title=British man who fought Isis in Syria faces retrial over terror charges|date=16 April 2019|website=The Independent|access-date=23 September 2019}}
Janson died on 4 September 2019, taking his own life after a long struggle with mental illness. He was buried in the grounds of Dunrobin Castle, Golspie, Scotland, the seat of the Earls of Sutherland.