Families of American hostages abroad share their stories

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The bipartisan House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee for Oversight and Accountability held a hearing Tuesday to hear the stories from families of American citizens being detained abroad.

“How can disagreements be peacefully resolved,” Debra Tice asked, “if all engagement is forbidden?”

Tice’s son Austin has been held in Syria for more than 11 years. Debra pleaded with the lawmakers to negotiate her son’s release. According to the State Department’s website, Syria is “on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism” and therefore has little communication with the U.S.

“It’s very intentional: Russia, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Russia again, Nigeria, China,” Rep. Hayley Stevens (D-Mich.) listed off. “They are holding your families hostage. This is a form of collective torture.”

While most attendees at the hearing represented American citizens held by adversarial nations, Aida Dagher spoke on behalf of Zack Shahin, who is jailed for financial crimes by U.S. ally United Arab Emirates.

“They’re our friends,” Dagher said. “Can’t Secretary Blinken or President Biden pick up the phone, talk to our friends?”

Families of the detained Americans were also asking for transparency about their loved ones abroad.

Maryam Kamalmaz, whose father Majd Kamalmaz is being held in Syria, said, “If there’s any information the U.S. government is holding back from us, we need to know.”

Each attendee thanked the subcommittee for their efforts and remained hopeful that their family members would return to the U.S.

The list of detainees, the country holding them, and the representatives advocating for them at the meeting today is as follows:

Ryan Corbett (Afghanistan), represented by his wife, Anna Corbett

Majd Kamalmaz (Syria), represented by his daughter, Maryam Kamalmaz

Jimmy Sharmahd (Iran), represented by his daughter, Gazelle Sharmahd

Alsu Kurmasheva (Russia), represented by her husband, Pavel Butorin

Austin Tice (Syria), represented by his mother, Debra Tice

Mark Swidan (China), represented by Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas)

Tigran Gambaryan (Nigeria), represented by Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.)

Zack Shahin (UAE), represented by his sister-in-law, Aida Dagher

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