Connect with us

World

Relatives of Americans held abroad seek action from Biden


Relatives of Americans detained abroad gathered outside the White House on Wednesday to urge the Biden administration to do more to bring their loved ones home. They said they wanted more direct access to President Joe Biden to be able to better make their case.

The meeting unfolded against the backdrop of high-profile prisoner releases over the last year, including of WNBA star Brittney Griner in Russia, civilian contractor Mark Frerichs in Afghanistan, a group of oil executives in Venezuela and Paul Rusesabagina of “Hotel Rwanda” fame.

For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

But dozens of Americans still remain held overseas by foreign governments, and the recent arrest in Russia of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has drawn fresh attention to their plight and underscored how hostage diplomacy remains a persistent, national security priority for the US.

“Seeing all these people come home in the last year, I think it shows us that it’s possible. There just needs to be the will — from the president, from the highest levels of our government — to bring our families home,” Harrison Li, whose father, Kai Li, has been imprisoned in China since 2016, said in an interview before the event.

But he noted that for all the countries where the US has had recent success, China is not one of them.

Also attending Wednesday’s event were some of the Americans who’d been freed over the last year, including Trevor Reed, a Marine veteran released by Russia in an April 2022 prisoner swap for a Russian pilot convicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy case. In the weeks before Reed’s release, his parents scored a meeting with Biden and also demonstrated outside the White House.

“When he called us,” said Reed’s father, Joey, “it meant everything to us. I mean, it gave us a complete new perspective and an ability to hang in there until he brought our son home.”

Months after Reed was released, the US brought home Griner in a separate one-for-one swap involving convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner was not present Wednesday, instead participating in a media day for her WNBA team. She has emerged as an emissary for the hostage and detainee community, using her star status to raise attention for others left behind, including Gershkovich and another American in Russia, Paul Whelan.

Hannah Sharghi, whose father, Emad, has been held in Iran since 2018 on espionage charges her family says are false, pleaded with Biden to bring her father home so that “he is able to be my dad again,” instead of a diplomatic “pawn.”

“We have asked for a meeting with the president for so long now that I frankly don’t know how else to ask or what else to say,” she said.

Roger Carstens, the US government’s special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, said in an interview on CNN this week that efforts to bring home detained Americans continue regardless of whether a family speaks to Biden. He said that of the 27 people the US has brought home in the last two years, only two have families that have met with the president.

“The real metric, the real measure of success, is whether someone comes home, steps on a tarmac on US soil and falls into the loving arms of their family,” he said, adding, “Whether the president speaks to a family or not doesn’t stop the machinery of trying to get the job actually done.”

Read more: Blinken calls on Iran to release detained American

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

World

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meets with CEOs of leading Norwegian companies

H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has met with a group of CEOs from leading Norwegian companies, as part of their participation in the UAE-Norway Investment Forum, held alongside his official visit to the Kingdom of Norway.

During the meeting, H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed underscored the UAE leadership’s commitment to strengthening economic cooperation with its international partners.

He highlighted that investment in innovation and knowledge is a cornerstone for achieving sustainable development, noting that enhancing collaboration with Norwegian companies across key sectors will open new avenues for mutual economic growth between the two countries.

The UAE-Norway Investment Forum, taking place in Oslo, aimed to highlight available investment opportunities and strengthen trade relations between the UAE and Norway, fostering shared interests and supporting innovation and knowledge-based economic visions.

-wam

Continue Reading

World

At the Indonesia International Book Fair 2024, TRENDS inaugurates 10th global office, releases four books

As part of its Asian research tour, partnership with Aletihad News Center, and
primary sponsorship of the Indonesia International Book Fair 2024, TRENDS
Research & Advisory inaugurated its office in Jakarta, marking its 10th location
worldwide. It also released four books in Indonesian.
The inauguration event was attended by ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain, and
Jordan to Indonesia, chairpersons of the UAE and Indonesian Publishers’
Associations, the Director of TRENDS’ Jakarta office, and a group of researchers
and academics.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS
Research & Advisory, stated that TRENDS’ international offices—set to reach 15
by the end of 2024—aim to enhance the Center’s research efforts and deepen its
role in disseminating knowledge, thus serving as a global knowledge bridge.
He emphasized, “At TRENDS, we believe in the importance of cooperation
between think tanks and prioritize this endeavor. We believe the TRENDS office in
Jakarta will enhance the exchange of knowledge and ideas between think tanks in
Asia and the Middle East, opening new horizons for collaboration in various
fields.”

Four books in Indonesian
As part of the Jakarta office’s inaugural activities, four books were released in
Indonesian, including the 11th and 12th books of the Muslim Brotherhood
Encyclopedia and Global Trends in AI and Automation and the Future of
Competition between Man and Machine: An Analytical Forward-looking Vision.

Hostility to Arab states
The 11th book of the Muslim Brotherhood Encyclopedia, The Concept of the State
According to the Muslim Brotherhood, highlights its hostile stance toward Arab
states since its inception. The group views them as an obstacle to its ascent to
power. It opposed the modern principles upon which these states were built,
considering them incompatible with the group’s unique interpretation of Islam,
which it claimed to embody exclusively.

Exclusion of nonconformists
The 12th book, The Muslim Brotherhood: Rejection of Tolerance and Exclusion of
Nonconformists, examines the Muslim Brotherhood’s stance towards
nonconformists, individuals, and entities. The book reveals the group’s binary view
of the world, categorizing others as allies or adversaries. It ties these relationships
to the Brotherhood’s internal power struggles and self-serving interests.

Global Trends in AI
The third book, Global Trends in AI, explores significant developments in AI and
its impact on various aspects of life, including the economy, society, and
governance. It also offers a comprehensive analysis of technological advancements
in AI, its applications across sectors, the ethical and social challenges it presents,
and its future trajectory.

Automation

The fourth book, Automation and the Future of Competition between Man and
Machine: An Analytical Forward-looking Vision, addresses the growing challenges
faced by the human workforce in the face of widespread automation and AI
applications. The book concludes that while automation presents a significant
challenge to the labor market, it simultaneously creates new opportunities. It
emphasizes the importance of preparing for this shift through skills development,
continuous education, and adopting economic and social policies that support the
workforce.

Prominent pavilion and active presence
The TRENDS’ pavilion at the Indonesia International Book Fair has attracted
numerous visitors, including academic researchers and officials, such as the
ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Turkey. Additionally,
chairpersons of Arab and Indonesian publishers’ associations, authors, publishers,
and students visited the pavilion. All were impressed with and praised TRENDS’ diverse, valuable publications. They also commended TRENDS’ active
international presence and ability to address global developments with rigorous
analytical research.
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali honored the esteemed guests, including
ambassadors of the UAE and Bahrain to Indonesia, Wedha Startesti Yudha,
Chairperson of the Indonesia International Book Fair Committee, Arys Hilman
Nugraha, Chairman of the Indonesian Publishers Association, and others,
presenting them with TRENDS’ publications and commemorative shields.
Additionally, he awarded TRENDS’ Research Medal to Ni Made Ayu Martini
Indonesian Deputy Minister of Marketing, Tourism and Creative Economy
It is worth noting that during its current Asian research tour, TRENDS announced
the launch of the TRENDS Research Medal, awarded to individuals who make
significant contributions to the development of scientific research and promote collaboration with TRENDS in strengthening a culture of research across various fields.

Continue Reading

World

US determined to prevent full-scale war in Middle East, Joe Biden tells UNGA79

US President Joe Biden highlighted the US Administration’s determination to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire Middle East region, noting that a diplomatic solution “remains the only path to lasting security to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes on the border safely”.

In remarks he made today before the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79), the US President said, “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest,” adding that a diplomatic solution is still possible.

He also touched on “the rise of violence against innocent Palestinians on the West Bank”, and the need to “set the conditions for a better future”, which he said featured “a two-state solution, where the world — where Israel enjoys security and peace and full recognition and normalised relations with all its neighbours, where Palestinians live in security, dignity, and self-determination in a state of their own”.

President Biden underscored the ceasefire and hostage deal put forth by Qatar and Egypt, which the UN Security Council endorsed. He said, “Now is the time for the parties to finalise its terms, bring the hostages home,” adding that this would help ease the suffering in Gaza, and end the war.

-WAM

Continue Reading

Trending