Biden: Action in response to wrongful detention of Americans abroad

President Joe Biden signs an executive order Tuesday concerning prevention and response to wrongful detention of U.S. citizens abroad. The executive order would authorize government agencies to impose sanctions and other measures.

Biden has faced mounting pressure from families of hostages and detainees, including the case of WNBA basketball player Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February on drug-related charges.

The U.S. does not provide official data on the number of U.S. citizens detained overseas, but the James W. Foley, named for the American journalist kidnapped and killed in Syria, says more than 60 U.S. citizens are illegally held in some 18 countries.

Some are held by the U.S.’s main adversaries: Iran, Russia, Venezuela and China.

A senior administration official told reporters Monday that Biden is “eager to get all of these cases resolved and at the same time begin to develop a deterrence strategy that will increase the payback for hostage-taking and wrongful detention.”

The executive order would authorize agencies to impose additional sanctions, including financial sanctions, on those involved in hostage-taking, officials said.

“The sanctions authority included in this executive order allows the United States to impose financial sanctions and travel restrictions on those responsible for the unjust detention of American citizens, regardless of whether they are detained by a terrorist organization or a state actor,” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken explained in a statement.

As part of the new measures, State Department travel advisories will add warnings about the increased risk of wrongful detention in a foreign country. On Tuesday, six countries will be added to the list – Myanmar (Burma), China, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.

The Foley Foundation specifies that the countries wrongfully detaining Americans include Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Mali, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, Venezuela and Yemen.