WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) — Supporters of Austin Tice gathered at the National Press Club on Wednesday a, a sober event that served as a call to action for the Biden administration to renew its efforts to secure his return.

Family members, friends and press executives attended the gathering, which included a concert by Scotty Hasting celebrating Tice’s valor as a journalist and former U.S. service member, and remarks from Tice’s commanding officer during his time in the Marines.

But all those who spoke shared a similar message: Patience has worn thin with promises from government leaders of a grand diplomatic effort that have led to no tangible results.

Tice disappeared in Syria in August 2012 while covering the country’s civil war as a freelance journalist for McClatchy, The Washington Post and other publications. U.S. officials believe he was detained at a Syrian government checkpoint southwest of Damascus on Aug. 14 of that year. A video emerged six weeks after his disappearance purporting to show him in captivity.

Debra Tice, Austin’s mother, told attendees at the event that diplomatic conditions are “near-perfect” to revive talks over Austin’s case with Syria and accused the administration of unwillingness to offer diplomatic concessions to the Assad government.

“I truly believe that Austin’s freedom is closer now than ever before,” Debra Tice said. “This is the time we need to press in, because the government is well poised to act, and they are deservedly encouraged by their recent success.”

“They must make deals. Every kind of hostage situation requires engagement, negotiation, and concession. These are essential. Missed windows are a huge reason Austin is still missing after 12 long years. We are in a window now,” she said. “Our government must act now.”

In a sharply worded video message, Tony Hunter, CEO of McClatchy, rebuked the Biden administration for not doing enough to ensure Tice’s release, noting the White House has found success in its other efforts to secure freedom for Americans wrongfully detained abroad when it has prioritized those missions.

Biden’s team has secured the release of several other Americans detained abroad by hostile states, including from Iran, Venezuela and Russia, which imprisoned another American journalist, Evan Gershkovich, on political charges until his release earlier this month. But the Syrian government has consistently refused to discuss the specifics of Tice’s case, frustrating three consecutive presidents.

“The Biden administration has stated that the recovery and return of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained is a top priority. Yet, despite these words, the actions required to bring Austin home remain insufficient. It is clear that when the administration places emphasis on returning one of our citizens, they find a way, even if it requires negotiating with a dictator,” Hunter said.

“I call on the U.S. government to confirm the meeting with Syria in Oman, to engage with Syrian authorities, use every available resource, and exhaust every diplomatic channel,” he said. “And if all else fails, go get him.”

“Stay there in face-to-face meetings until Austin is released. Do not leave until the job is done. It is time to pull out all the stops,” Hunter continued. “Bring him home, President Biden.”

Matt Murray, executive editor of the Washington Post, emphasized the importance of the press to keep its focus on Tice’s case, telling members of the Biden administration: “Our patience is wearing thin.”

“His is a gut-wrenching and, frankly, infuriating case, and his ordeal has lasted so long that we must collectively and regularly reaffirm our determination to keep his cause in front of our eyes, as well as the eyes of government officials and others whose help we need to win his release.”

Robert O’Brien, who served as U.S. special envoy for hostage affairs and national security adviser under former President Donald Trump, said in a video statement that he had confidence his successors in the Biden administration are doing everything they can to bring Tice home.

The Trump administration’s failure to do so, O’Brien said, “still weighs on me. It’s a heartbreak of mine.”

Little is known by the U.S. government about Tice’s fate or whereabouts. Even getting the Syrians to acknowledge his existence has been a years-long challenge.

At the Press Club event, Debra Tice said, “we are completely confident that Austin is alive,” pointing to a statement Biden issued in 2022 that the U.S. government knows “with certainty” that Tice has been held in Syria.

In a statement on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Tice has been held in “unknown conditions” and issued a plea to Syria to open an honest dialogue on his case.

“For more than a quarter of his life, Austin has been separated from his family and kept in unknown conditions,” Blinken said. “We know the Syrian government has held Austin, and we have repeatedly offered to find a way to bring him home.”

“This has gone on for far too long,” Blinken added. “We call on the Syrian government to work with the United States to end Austin’s captivity.”

©2024 McClatchy Washington Bureau.

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