Who are the U.S. citizens still detained overseas?

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The White House says it is still working to secure the release of other Americans held overseas.

Journalist Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Wheelan and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva are currently in the United States after being released from captivity in Russia in a historic prisoner swap earlier this week.

But even as the U.S. government celebrates their return, dozens of Americans are currently being held hostage or wrongfully detained in 16 countries around the world.

Data from the James W Foley Legacy Foundation – named after a journalist kidnapped and killed in Syria – suggests that more than 40 Americans are being wrongfully detained abroad, many of them for years after sham trials.

The majority of cases cited in the report, 78 percent, involve wrongful detentions by state actors such as China, Iran, or Russia. The remainder involve hostage-taking by non-state actors, including Hamas, which is currently holding at least five U.S. citizens.

But the actual number of people detained abroad is probably higher.

Families of some American detainees have deliberately avoided the spotlight, while others have yet to be designated as wrongfully detained by the United States.

Here are some of the cases we are aware of:

Ksenia Karelina, detained in Russia

Among the Americans still being held in Russia is Ksenia Karelina, a 32-year-old amateur ballerina and spa worker based in California.

In February, Russian authorities announced that Ms Karelina, a dual citizen who was visiting family in the country, had been arrested on treason charges.

The charges allegedly stem from a $51.89 (US$40.43) donation to a New York-based charity that buys equipment for Ukrainian rescue workers.

After the prisoner swap between the United States and Russia, Ms Karelina's boyfriend, Christopher van Heerden, told Reuters he was disappointed she was not included in the deal.

“I'm happy for the Americans who are back home with their families,” he said. “It gives me hope. At the same time, I'm heartbroken and sad … she's not on the list.”

Ms Karelina's trial is expected to begin next week.

Although the U.S. government has not commented publicly on the case, Mr. van Heerden said he was aware of it and was seeking not to “antagonize” Russian authorities ahead of the trial.

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Austin Tice disappeared in Syria in 2012 and is believed to be imprisoned

Austin Tice, detained in Syria

Independent journalist and former U.S. Marine Austin Tice, 31, was kidnapped in August 2012 while working in Syria.

Although no government or group has claimed responsibility for his disappearance, U.S. officials quickly said they believed he was being held by the Syrian government — a position they have maintained ever since.

The Syrian government said it was not aware of Mr Tice's whereabouts.

In 2022, US President Joe Biden met with the Tice family and said the US knew “with certainty” that he was being held by the Syrian government.

In May of this year, Mr Biden again mentioned that Mr Tice was being “held hostage”.

After 12 years, he is now considered the longest-detained American journalist in history.

Freedom for Marc Fogel via Facebook

White House says it is still working to secure Marc Fogel's release

Marc Fogel, detained in Russia

Marc Fogel, 63, a professor at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, was arrested at an airport in August 2021 and charged with transporting a small amount of medical marijuana that had been prescribed in the United States.

He is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence and is believed to have taught English to other inmates.

Following the prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia, Ms Fogel's family said in a statement that she had been “abandoned again”.

“Marc has been unjustly detained for far too long and must be given priority in any exchange negotiations with Russia, regardless of his level of notoriety or sobriety,” the statement added.

On August 1, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States was “working actively to secure his release.”

Asked the next day about the Fogel case, President Biden said: “We're not giving up on that idea.”

The Swidan Family via CBS

The family of American businessman Mark Swidan has said they fear he may commit suicide.

Mark Swidan, detained in China

Mark Swidan, a Texas businessman and graphic designer, has been imprisoned in China since 2012 on drug charges. He denies the charges.

A subsequent review of the charges by the United Nations found that Mr Swidan – who was in China buying flooring at the time of his arrest – was not in the country at the time of his alleged crime.

The U.S. government believes he and two other Americans are being unjustly detained in China.

In April, his mother Katherine Swidan told CBS, the BBC's US partner, that the family was “very worried and afraid that Mark was going to end his life”.

The family also claimed that Mr Swidan suffered torture while in detention in China, including fractures to both hands and dislocated kneecaps.

“His leg is so swollen that they may not be able to get the splint off without cutting it,” Swidan said at a news conference in February. “He’s sick. He’s eating nothing but bread.”

Ryan Corbett, detained in Afghanistan

New York native Ryan Corbett was arrested upon his return to Afghanistan in August 2022 after leaving the country when the Taliban seized power the previous year.

He had previously lived in the country for many years and had led and supervised projects for a number of NGOs.

So far, Mr. Corbett has not been charged with any crime. Taliban officials have told CBS that he was involved in “anti-state” activities.

He is one of three American citizens the U.S. government believes are being held by the Taliban, who have expressed interest in releasing them in exchange for Afghan citizens still held by the United States.

In March, his family said they received a “disturbing call” from Mr Corbett in Afghanistan, in which he “exhibited a significantly deteriorated mental state”.

“I want the president to realize that failure to take action to bring Ryan home could have disastrous consequences,” his wife Anna told CBS.

Although U.S. officials have held several meetings with Taliban representatives to secure his release, they have not disclosed whether any progress has been made.

Several U.S. lawmakers, including New York Representative Claudia Tenney, have also publicly called for his release.

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