Syria denies holding US journalist missing for more than a decade

First modification: 08/18/2022 – 02:42

Nothing is known about freelance journalist and ex-marine Austin Tice. With no trace of him for ten years, no one has claimed responsibility for his disappearance. The reporter, who was 31 years old at the time, was lost sight of while reporting on the unprecedented mobilizations against Bashar al-Assad.

His family clings to the hope of finding his whereabouts and believes that he is still alive in a Syrian prison.

President Biden himself required to Syria for his return. “We have repeatedly asked the Government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home,” the White House briefing room said days ago, on the 10th anniversary of his disappearance.

Given the president’s personal claim, the Syrian Foreign Ministry denied holding the reporter or any US citizen.

“The United States last week issued misleading and illogical statements from the President and Secretary of State that included baseless accusations against Syria that it had kidnapped or detained US citizens, including former Marine Austin Tice,” the statement read.

Washington ‘committed’ to Tice’s return

State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the US government has pressured Syria to return all Americans Washington says are being held on Syrian soil.

The case of the former marine acquires a particular relevance since, according to Price, the Biden Administration has “committed widely” to finding his whereabouts, which he assures directly includes “Syrian officials” and the support of “third parties.”

“Syria has never acknowledged that it is holding him,” he said, adding that “our efforts will not be deterred. We are going to pursue all avenues to ensure Austin’s safe return,” she concluded.

Austin Tice disappeared at a checkpoint west of the capital, Damascus, on August 14, 2012. The last known trace of life was a video of him blindfolded.

Tice’s journalistic work has been published, among other media, by ‘The Washington Post’.

alternative diplomacy

Biden promised Austin parents to work “tirelessly” for his comeback.

Despite the fact that the United States has not had a diplomatic representation in Syria since the beginning of the civil war, US officials are exploring all possible avenues of dialogue, according to the White House.

Last June, the head of Lebanese intelligence, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, said that US officials had expressed a willingness to resume efforts to bring Tice back. The military also stressed that he would visit Syria for that purpose.

According to Ibrahim, during previous negotiations for the release of Tice, Syria would have put several demands on the table, such as the withdrawal of US forces from the territory, the lifting of sanctions and the resumption of diplomatic relations with the North American country.

with Reuters