President Joe Biden reiterated his call Wednesday for the release of freelance journalist Austin Tice, saying that his administration has “repeatedly pressed” Syria to work with the United States to secure his return.
Biden’s comments came in a statement marking 12 years since Tice was abducted in Syria.
“We have repeatedly pressed the government of Syria to work with us so that we can, at last, bring Austin home,” Biden said in the statement. “Today, I once again call for his immediate release.”
Tice, a Marine veteran and Texas native, was abducted on Aug. 14, 2012, while reporting on the civil war in Syria. He disappeared at a checkpoint outside Damascus, and video surfaced months later showing him blindfolded and being held by a group of armed men.
U.S. officials have long insisted the Syrian government is holding Tice, which the country has denied. Biden said in 2022 his administration knows “with certainty” that Syria has had Tice in captivity.
Earlier this month, Biden helped bring home two American journalists held abroad, Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, as part of the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War. They were freed along with a third American who had been imprisoned in Russia, Marine veteran Paul Whelan.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also released a statement on the 12-year anniversary of Tice’s abduction.
“This has gone on for far too long,” Blinken said. “We call on the Syrian government to work with the United States to end Austin’s captivity and to provide an accounting for the fate of other Americans who went missing in Syria.”
Echoing Biden, Blinken said the United States has “repeatedly offered to find a way to bring him home.”
The FBI has posted a reward of up to $1 million for any “information leading directly to the safe location, recovery, and return” of Tice.
Tice worked for a number of news organizations, including CBS, The Washington Post and McClatchy. In a statement on the recent prisoner swap, The Post’s leaders called for the “safe return of American journalist Austin Tice and all wrongfully detained journalists and hostages.”
“Independent journalism is a critical function of democracy,” the statement said. “The U.S. government must make it a priority to bring them all home safely and champion the importance of press freedom worldwide.”
