Biden signed an executive order to prevent wrongful detention of Americans abroad.
President Joe Biden signed a decree on Tuesday aimed at to deter and punish wrongful detentions of US citizens abroad, authorizing government agencies to impose sanctions and other measures.
Biden has faced growing pressure from families of hostages and detainees, most recently in the case of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been in Russian custody and on trial on drug charges since February.
Deteriorating relations between the U.S. and Russia, due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, highlighted her detention and the wider problem.
The U.S. does not provide official figures on how many U.S. citizens are detained abroad, but the James W. Foley Legacy Fund, named after the American journalist kidnapped and killed in Syria, reports that more than 60 U.S. citizens are illegally detained in approximately 18 countries.< /p>
Some are held by major US adversaries such as Iran, Russia, Venezuela and China.
The executive order allows agencies to impose unspecified costs and consequences, including financial sanctions, on those involved before taking hostages.
“The sanctions authority included in this executive order allows the United States to impose financial and travel sanctions against those responsible for the wrongful detention of US citizens, regardless of whether their abductor is a terrorist network or a state actor,” the US secretary of state said in a statement. Anthony Blinken.
Government agencies have been ordered to work closely with the families of detainees and share information and possibly intelligence, US officials say.
As part of the new steps, the State Department's travel advisory will add a warning when there is an increased risk of wrongful detention in a foreign country. On Tuesday, six countries will receive warnings – Myanmar, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.
Also, the Biden administration is introducing a risk indicator D, which will mark countries with existing risks.
Russia's release of former US Marine Trevor Reed in April has intensified calls from relatives of other detainees abroad for Biden to act.
Reed was released after three years in prison as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia. Biden reduced the prison term in the US for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko.
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