All articles tagged with #hostage diplomacy
The Trump administration plans to sign an executive order creating a designation for countries that illegally detain Americans, enabling the US to impose penalties and travel restrictions on such nations, aiming to deter hostage-taking and wrongful detention abroad.
The Trump administration plans to issue an executive order to designate countries that wrongfully detain Americans, allowing the U.S. to impose penalties and travel restrictions on such nations, aiming to deter hostage-taking and secure the release of Americans held abroad.
Russia announces the complete withdrawal of its troops from Nagorno-Karabakh, Iran's imprisonment of an EU diplomat signals a new era of hostage diplomacy by authoritarian governments, a punch-up in Georgia's parliament follows the EU's call for the withdrawal of a controversial foreign agent bill, Palestinians brace for Israeli reaction after an Iranian barrage, and Iran's direct assault strengthens Israeli leader Netanyahu's position amid the Gaza conflict.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with detained American Paul Whelan, assuring him that efforts to secure his release continue, with Whelan expressing frustration at being left behind in previous prisoner swaps with Russia. Whelan has consistently urged the Biden administration to do its utmost to secure his release, calling on President Joe Biden to use every resource available to bring him home. The US has put significant offers on the table to secure Whelan's release, but so far, those efforts have not yielded success.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia, during a phone call on Monday, but provided few details about their conversation. Whelan, who has been imprisoned for over five years on espionage charges, expressed feeling abandoned by the U.S. in a recent interview with the BBC. Blinken reaffirmed the U.S. government's commitment to bringing Whelan and other wrongfully detained Americans home.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez expressed concerns about the reported $6 billion US-Iran prisoner swap, stating that negotiating for the release of American prisoners encourages hostile nations to take more Americans hostage in the future. He emphasized the need to make it clear to Americans that they should not travel to certain places where they are likely to become hostages. Menendez does not believe Congress will vote on the deal and declined to disclose how he would vote if it came to the Senate floor. Senate Republicans criticized the deal, arguing that it creates incentives for more hostage-taking and supports terrorism. The Biden administration maintains that the unfrozen funds will be restricted to humanitarian trade and will secure the release of wrongfully held Americans.