Spanberger calls for safe return of kidnapped American journalist Austin Tice

Abigail Spanberger today called for detained U.S. citizen Austin Tice to be released from his seven-year-plus captivity in Syria.

Tice was detained at a checkpoint near Damascus, Syria in August 2012 while working in the country as a freelance journalist covering the suffering of the Syrian people. Tice had previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq as a U.S. Marine Corps Captain, and he was preparing to begin his final year of studies at Georgetown University Law Center.

In September, Spanberger joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of her colleagues in calling on the administration to secure the release of Tice.

In the letter sent to President Trump, Spanberger and her colleagues urged the administration to use its full national security team—including the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs—to push for Tice’s eventual freedom.

On the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today, Spanberger described the courage of Tice and his commitment as a journalist to amplifying the stories of the Syrian people, specifically children. She also praised Tice’s parents for their continued advocacy, their work to free Austin, and their push for strengthened press freedom around the world.