President Biden will sign an executive order on Tuesday that will authorize the US to impose sanctions on foreign nations that illegally hold Americans, while providing greater transparency to hostage families, including sharing information, in an effort to bring Americans home. In conjunction with the new executive order, the State Department will update its travel advisory risk index to include “D” for illegal detention abroad, in an effort to inform Americans and highlight countries where there is a “high risk” of illegal detention reservation. . Senior administration officials said the State Department on Tuesday would give a “D” rating to China, Iran, Russia, Burma, Korea and Venezuela. A senior administration official said the president’s executive order, “Strengthening Efforts to Bring Home Hostages and Arbitrarily Detained United States Citizens,” will help expand the “toolkit to help bring home American hostages and wrongful detainees.” . RUSSIA RELEASED PRISONER US MARINE TREVOR Reed IN EXCHANGE FOR SUCCESSFUL RUSSIAN DRUG MANUFACTURER “Foreign states engaging in illegal detention threaten the integrity of the international political system and, in addition, the safety of US citizens and others abroad,” the official said, stressing the US administration’s “unwavering commitment to repatriating Americans held hostage and illegally detained. .” The official said the executive order would also allow the US government to “impose costs on perpetrators and provide greater transparency.” U.S. WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner sits in a dock during a hearing at Khimki Court in the city of Khimki outside Moscow, July 15, 2022. – Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion , was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying cannabis oil vapor cartridges in her luggage, which could carry a 10-year prison sentence. (Photo by 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 whether the person is a terrorist or a state actor, the official explained. “We are using the sanctions principle with the primary objective of securing the release of a loved one,” the official said. “The use of sanctions may not always ensure the release of a loved one, but the families of prisoners know their case best.” The official explained that the executive order is based on the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act – a bipartisan bill that boosted US government resources to bring back Americans held hostage or illegally held abroad. “This executive order strengthens the U.S. government’s efforts to support the families of American hostages by enhancing cooperation with the families, including intelligence sharing and government efforts to secure release and return,” the official said. “This is not a substitute,” the official added. “It’s an addition to creating transparency, imposing costs and generally trying to prevent the next set of families from going through this horrible ordeal.” BIDEN ASSURES BRITNEY GRINER’S WIFE HE IS WORKING TO SECURE HER RELEASE FROM RUSSIA ‘AS SOON AS POSSIBLE’ Another official said the executive order is a testament to President Biden’s “commitment to bringing home US citizens” and is informed by the administration’s “regular communications with the families and other stakeholders who have undertaken incredible advocacy efforts on behalf of of their loved ones”. “The Biden-Harris administration values the continued care of such families and considers them essential partners in our efforts to bring Americans home,” an administration official said. “President Biden and experts across the administration will rely on this EO to advance our efforts and remain committed to reuniting Americans held hostage and illegally detained with their families.” Officials stressed that the United States “opposes illegal detention” and stressed that the practice “poses a threat to all US citizens traveling and living abroad.” Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of espionage and arrested in Russia in December 2018, stands inside a dock as he awaits his verdict in Moscow on June 15, 2020. (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images ) As for the updated ‘D’ travel risk indicator, an official said the advice is “apolitical, fact-based and transparent”. The “D” indicator joins the existing “K” indicator that covers the risk of kidnapping and hostage taking by non-state actors, as well as a number of other existing risk indicators, the official explained, noting that the State Department’s travel advisory is “constantly 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 remove WNBA player Brittney Griner from Russia, where she has been held since February. Griner was arrested in February for allegedly transporting vapor 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. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. Biden, earlier this month, spoke to Griner’s wife, Cheryl Griner, by phone, assuring her that the US government is “working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible.” “The President called Cherelle to assure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other US citizens illegally held or held hostage in Russia and around the world,” White stated. House said in a statement earlier this month. Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan is also being held in Russia on espionage-related charges his family says are false. In April, the Biden administration successfully conducted a prisoner swap, swapping Trevor Reed, a Marine veteran jailed in Moscow, for Russian drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was serving time in America. US Marine Trevor Reed landed in Texas on April 28, 2022, following a prisoner exchange between the US and Russia. (Rep. August Pfluger) A person familiar with the Reid situation told Fox News at the time that the prisoner exchange was an “extreme rarity” in the Biden administration’s strategy to bring Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained around the world home to the United States. States. The “very difficult decision” the president made was “driven by the circumstances surrounding Trevor’s health,” the person told Fox News, adding that the Biden administration is “committed and the president is committed to trying to find ways to bring others at home. worldwide. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The person said the president was willing to make the call because of how ‘strongly he feels about his commitment to bringing 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 was not something that “eliminated his conviction” but rather a “conversion.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. Brooke Singman is a political reporter for Fox News Digital. She can be reached at [email protected] or @BrookeSingman on Twitter.
