Countries Where Americans Risk Being Wrongfully Detained, Imprisoned

Recent events have helped focus broader attention on the fact that Americans traveling abroad risk the very real possibility of wrongful detention by a foreign government.

This past week, President Joe Biden announced that the WNBA’s Brittney Griner had been released from a Russian prison, where she had been unjustly detained for months on drug-related charges after cannabis-derived oil cartridges were found in her luggage.

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The ordeal prompted the president to also direct a broader message to the American people to “take precautions” and carefully review the State Department’s detailed travel advisories before traveling abroad for any reason.

Biden pointed out that those destination-specific advisories, which outline potential dangers travelers could face when visiting foreign countries, now include warnings about the "risk of being wrongfully detained by a foreign government," in addition to the State Department’s highest-level ‘Do Not Travel’ admonitions.

It’s a risk factor that was added to the State Department’s travel notices back in July, which is denoted by the addition of a “D” label to a nation’s specific advisory. Since summer, the designation has been attached to the official travel advisories for Russia, Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea and Venezuela, CBS News reported.

"In July 2022, we introduced a new risk indicator to our Travel Advisories — the ‘D’ indicator," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. "This new indicator warns U.S. citizens of the risk of wrongful detention by a foreign government. We made this change to highlight the elevated risk of wrongful detention in particular countries that have engaged in this practice. The United States opposes wrongful detention, including the practice of using individuals as political bargaining chips, everywhere. These practices represent a threat to the safety of all U.S. citizens traveling, working, and living abroad."

While the State Department has not disclosed just how many U.S. citizens are currently being wrongfully detained by foreign governments, a New York Times report on Friday said that one of the department’s senior officials back in July estimated the number to be around 40 or 50.

The Biden administration asserts that it’s doing everything possible to secure the release of those Americans who remain unjustly imprisoned overseas. "I don't want any American to sit wrongfully detained one extra day if we can bring that person home," President Biden said on Thursday.

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