WASHINGTON – Americans wrongfully detained by foreign governments account for the largest number of Americans held captive abroad and the U.S. needs to improve the process by which wrongful detentions are determined, according to one of the findings of the sixth edition of Bringing Americans Home, an independent, nonpartisan research report released today by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation.
Participants interviewed for the report demanded more clarity regarding the opaque process that culminates in a decision by the Secretary of State to declare a U.S. national wrongfully detained. This determination affects the level and type of resources the U.S. government dedicates to securing a wrongful detainee’s release. Similarly, the determination also unlocks a range of practical resources the government can provide to the families of those held to help them endure what can be years of painful separation.
The report contains new data that convey the scale, scope, and recent trends regarding the taking and unjustly detaining or holding Americans hostage abroad – a situation President Biden has declared a national crisis. Through 62 interviews with former captives, their families and other stakeholders, the report highlights the devastating experiences of these victims of human rights abuses.
The goal of the report is to inform executive branch policymaking, congressional legislation, and public understanding of hostage and wrongful detainee issues. The research highlights where the government’s efforts are working and where changes could resolve cases more quickly, deter future hostage-taking, hold captors accountable for their crimes, and support victims of a hostage-taking events.
“There has been a shift in the circumstances surrounding Americans taken captive abroad toward more wrongful detentions. The effects of captivity are devastating for them and their loved ones,” said Diane Foley, mother of James W. Foley and founder and president of the foundation. “More needs to be done to clarify government policies on wrongful detentions and to support returning hostages, wrongful detainees, and their families, including improved access to psychological and medical care, and reintegration support.”
The report was released at an event at the U.S. Capitol featuring a former hostage, relatives of current captives, report author Cindy Loertscher, and Roger Carstens, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. The event was moderated by Peter Bergen, Vice President at New America, one of two event partners. The other event partner was the McCain Institute.
The Foley Foundation is named for James Foley, an American freelance journalist who was held captive by ISIS for two years before being murdered in Syria in 2014. His family created the foundation to secure the freedom of Americans held captive unjustly abroad, prevent future hostage-taking, and promote journalist safety.
Among the report’s key findings:
- Forty-six U.S. nationals are currently held hostage or wrongfully detained across 16 countries. The majority (78%) are wrongful detainees. The average duration of captivity is slightly more than five years, with six cases lasting over 11 years.
- China and Russia account for 53% of the current wrongful detention cases.
- Since reaching a peak in 2022 there has been a 42% decrease in the number of U.S. nationals detained and held abroad by all captors.
- Foley Foundation report participants demanded more clarity regarding what they called an opaque process that culminates in a decision by the Secretary of State to declare a U.S. national wrongfully detained.
- They highlighted the need for more transparency, declassification of information, and communication between the U.S. government and the families throughout a loved one’s captivity
- The prioritization of hostage cases within the U.S. government is essential for effective intervention strategies.
- Countries or individuals responsible for kidnapping and wrongfully detaining U.S. nationals abroad should be held accountable.
- A new position, deputy assistant to the president and special coordinator for hostages and detentions, should be created within the U.S. National Security Council.
- There should be a line item in the federal budget dedicated to the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, the mechanism established in 2015 to coordinate the efforts of the agencies in the federal government that deal with hostage issues.
- There should be a program dedicated and adequately funded to provide reintegration support for returning hostages and detainees.
“The U.S. has made great progress since Jim’s detention and murder in how it handles cases of Americans captured abroad, but as the report shows, more needs to be done to aid captives and their families as they navigate these traumatic situations,” Foley said.
The full report can be found at jamesfoleyfoundation.org/hostage-advocacy/hostage-report/
For more information, contact Foley Foundation Vice President Benjamin Gray at benjamin.gray@jamesfoleyfoundation.org.
