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The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has signed an order on July 19, which is intended to prevent states from unjustly detaining and punishing American citizens abroad.
The move would allow US government agencies to impose sanctions and other measures against those who “unjustly detain” Americans, a US official said during a press conference before Biden signed the order.
This move comes after several American citizens have recently been arrested in Russia, including basketball player Brittney Griner. Russian authorities said they found cannabis oil in her suitcase when she was passing through Sheremetevo airport in February.
Another US citizen, ex-Marine Paul Whelan, was arrested in December 2018 and charged with espionage. He denied the charges, but in June 2020 he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Biden “is committed to resolving all these cases,” said the American official.
At the same time, Washington wants to create a deterrence strategy that increases the consequences for hostage-taking, including the imposition of financial and travel sanctions.
The James W. Foley Foundation says 64 Americans are currently wrongfully detained or held hostage.
This foundation was established in the name of James Foley, the American journalist who was kidnapped and killed in Syria in 2014.
President Biden’s order comes after former US Marine Trevor Reed was involved in a prisoner swap, namely with Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot who had been imprisoned in the US on drug-trafficking charges.
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