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President Biden will sign an executive order on Tuesday that will authorize the US to impose sanctions on foreign countries that wrongfully detain Americans, while providing greater transparency for hostage families, including intelligence sharing, in an effort to bring Americans home .
In conjunction with the new executive order, the State Department will update its travel risk indicator to include a “D” for wrongful detention abroad, in an effort to inform Americans and highlight countries at “increased risk” of wrongful detention .
Senior administration officials said the State Department on Tuesday would place a “D” indicator on China, Iran, Russia, Burma, Korea and Venezuela.
A senior administration official said the president’s executive order, “Increasing Efforts to Repatriate Hostages and Wrongfully Detained United States Citizens” will help expand “the toolkit to assist in the return home of American hostages and wrongfully detained citizens.” .
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“Foreign countries that engage in wrongful detention threaten the integrity of the international political system and, moreover, the safety of U.S. citizens and others abroad,” the official said, emphasizing “the unwavering commitment of the U.S. government to return home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained.”
The official said the executive order would also allow the US government to “impose costs on those responsible and provide greater transparency.”
U.S. WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner sits in a dock during a hearing in Khimki court in the city of Khimki outside Moscow on July 15, 2022 – Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport on February on charges that she carried cannabis oil vape cartridges in her luggage, which carries a 10-year prison sentence. (Photo: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)
The costs, according to the official, include financial penalties, visa bans and more. Sanctions can be imposed on the perpetrator, regardless of whether the person is a terrorist or a state actor, the official explained.
“We use sanctions powers with a primary focus to secure the release of a loved one,” the official said. “Using sanctions may not always secure the release of a loved one, but families of detainees know their case best.”
The official explained that the executive order was based on the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage Taking Act, a bipartisan bill that strengthened the US government’s resources to return Americans held hostage or illegally detained abroad.
“This executive order strengthens the U.S. government’s efforts to support the families of American hostages by increasing engagement with the families, including intelligence sharing and government efforts to secure release and return,” the official said.
“It’s not a substitute,” the official added. “This is in addition to creating transparency, imposing costs and generally trying to prevent the next batch of families going through this terrible ordeal.”
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Another official said the executive order was a demonstration of “President Biden’s commitment to bringing home American citizens” and was informed by the administration’s “regular communications with families and other stakeholders who have undertaken incredible advocacy efforts on behalf of their loved ones “.
“The Biden-Harris administration appreciates the continued diligence of such families and considers them essential partners in our efforts to bring Americans home,” an administration official said. “President Biden and administration experts will use this EO to advance our efforts and remain committed to reuniting Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained with their families.”
Officials stressed that the United States “opposes wrongful detention” and emphasized that the practice “poses a threat to all American citizens traveling and living abroad.”
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of espionage and arrested in Russia in December 2018, stands in a holding cell as he awaits his sentencing in Moscow on June 15, 2020. (Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty images)
Regarding the updated ‘D’ risk indicator for travel advice, an official said the advice was “apolitical, fact-based and transparent”.
The “D” indicator joins the existing “K” indicator, which covers the risk of kidnapping and hostage-taking by non-state actors, as well as a range of other existing risk indicators, the official explained, noting that the State Department’s travel advisories are ” is continuously reviewed and updated based on a comprehensive review of all available safety information and current developments.”
The executive order comes as the Biden administration continues its efforts to extradite WNBA player Brittney Griner from Russia, where she has been held since February.
Griner was arrested in February for allegedly transporting vape cartridges containing cannabis-derived oils through a Moscow airport.
Griner is currently in the middle of a trial that began earlier this month. Less than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted and, unlike in American courts, acquittals can be overturned. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Earlier this month, Biden spoke to Greener’s wife, Cheryl Greener, by phone, assuring her that the US government was “working to secure Britney’s release as soon as possible.”
“The President called Cheryl to assure her that he is working to secure Britney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other US citizens wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world,” The White House said in a statement earlier this month.
Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whalen is also being held in Russia on espionage charges that his family says are false.
In April, the Biden administration successfully carried out a prisoner swap, swapping Trevor Reed, a Marine Corps veteran imprisoned in Moscow, with Russian drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was serving time in America.
U.S. Marine Trevor Reed lands in Texas, April 28, 2022, following a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia. (Representative August Pfluger)
A person familiar with the Reid situation told Fox News at the time that a prisoner swap was “extremely rare” in the Biden administration’s strategy to bring Americans who have been held hostage and wrongfully detained around the world home in the United States.
The “very difficult decision” made by the president was “driven by circumstances surrounding Trevor’s health,” the person told Fox News, adding that the Biden administration was “engaged and the president is committed to trying to find ways to bring others home to the world.
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“The person said the president was willing to make the call because he ‘feels strongly about his commitment to bring Americans home.’
The person said talks about Reed’s return to the United States had been going on for “months and months.”
The person emphasized that Yaroshenko’s return to Russia is not something that “eradicates his convictions” but rather a “replacement”.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Brooke Syngman is a digital policy reporter for Fox News. You can reach her at Brooke.Singman@Fox.com or @BrookeSingman on Twitter.
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