Bringing Wrongfully Detained Americans Home

After more than a year of captivity in Afghanistan, Dennis Coyle was released, announced Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement. “President [Donald Trump] is committed to ending unjust detentions overseas – Dennis joins over 100 Americans who have been freed in the past 15 months under his second term in office.”

“While this is a positive step by the Taliban,” said Secretary Rubio, “more work needs to be done. We are still seeking the immediate return of Mahmood Habibi, Paul Overby, and all other unjustly detained Americans. The Taliban must end their practice of hostage diplomacy,” he stressed.

Speaking at the third U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, March 9, Secretary Rubio said, “We have this day to celebrate those who return, to honor those who perished in captivity, and commit to returning those who are still in detention – and holding also the perpetrators of this accountable.”

March 9th also marks the day that Robert Levinson went missing in Iran in 2007. Mr. Levinson spent nearly three decades in service to the United States, including 22 years as an FBI special agent. According to FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia the “evidence suggests that [Mr. Levinson] died in captivity in Iran, and he is the longest held American hostage in U.S. history.”

“The urgency to uncover the facts of [Mr. Levinson’s] disappearance has never been greater,” said Deputy Director Raia. U.S. authorities hope to resolve this case before Mr. Levinson’s next birthday.

The United States is focused on ending the cycle in which Americans are viewed as a valuable commodity that can be unjustly held and later traded for some diplomatic or political concession. “We have to make sure,” said Secretary Rubio, “that Americans are no longer viewed as targets of opportunity around the world and nation-states and terroristic regimes like the one in Iran know that there are consequences for doing that.”

That’s why State Department recently created the State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention Designation. It names governments and entities that specifically use this as a tool of leverage against the United States. The first country designated under this authority on February 27th was the terroristic regime in Iran. “Because when it comes to hostage taking, there has been no worse offender in the world than the clerical regime in Tehran,” said Secretary Rubio.

“The United States will not tolerate hostage diplomacy,” declared Secretary Rubio. “We’re going to continue to hold [the Iranian] regime accountable – and all other regimes that engage in this – accountable for these practices.”

“We believe in homecomings, we work for homecomings, and under the President’s leadership, we will not stop until every single unjustly detained American is brought home.”