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The Foley Flame: Illuminating Updates
March 2025
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SPOTLIGHT: BRING OUR FAMILIES HOME CAMPAIGN | |
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The Bring Our Families Home campaign is a grassroots movement of family members advocating for the return of their loved ones held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. The campaign was launched by families in 2022 to raise public awareness, apply political pressure, and work with policymakers to bring these individuals safely back to their families. The campaign organizes protests, vigils, and rallies to keep captives’ stories in the public eye to demand action. So far, family members in the campaign have seen 24 of their loved ones come home. The Foley Foundation serves as the campaign’s fiscal sponsor and provides integrated program management support for their advocacy efforts.
The campaign currently consists of nine families whose loved ones are detained in Belarus, Iran, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. This year we look forward to bringing home Lucas Hunter, Youras Ziankovich, Joseph St. Clair, David Barnes, Robert Gilman, Ksenia Karelina, Andre Khachatoorian, Zack Shahin, and Shahab Dalili.
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SECOND ANNUAL HOSTAGE AND WRONGFUL DETAINEE DAY | |
The Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag flies below the U.S. flag on March 9, 2025, Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. This day was chosen in memory of Robert Levinson, who was taken hostage in Iran on that day in 2007. The flag was designed by families of the Bring Our Families Home Campaign and designer David Ewald. | |
Last week, the Foley Foundation took a leading role in two key events to observe U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. | |
RELEASE OF THE FOUNDATION'S LATEST BRINGING AMERICANS HOME RESEARCH REPORT | |
On March 5, the Foley Foundation organized a webinar to share our latest independent, nonpartisan research analyzing the threat of international hostage-taking. This report builds on the success of our groundbreaking Bringing Americans Home research series that has helped inform the public, policymakers, and the private sector about the nature, scale, and scope of this threat and has put forward evidence-based recommendations to address it. The foundation’s Director of Research and Hostage Advocacy, Elizabeth Richards, presented our most recent findings. | |
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Following the presentation, a panel of experts – Brian Jenkins, Chris O’Leary, Holly Lindquist Thomas, joined Liz Richards in a discussion moderated by Foley Foundation Executive Director Benjamin Gray that explored the report’s implications, including how America can better deter and prevent the heinous practice of international hostage-taking. |
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Later this year, we look forward to releasing the next edition of our qualitative research based on the experiences of hostage families, as well as the work of government officials, third party experts, and negotiators. Later still in the year, Liz plans to release research focusing on the behaviors and motivations of specific captor countries like China and Russia that together account for nearly half of all wrongful detentions of Americans around the globe. | |
OFFICIAL EVENT OBSERVING THE SECOND ANNUAL HOSTAGE AND WRONGFUL DETAINEE DAY | |
The following day, in an event hosted by the U.S. Department of State, conducted in partnership with the Foley Foundation, the McCain Institute, Hostage US, New America, and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, attendees observed U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. The event included remarks by the acting Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA), Foley Foundation President Diane Foley, and U.S. Representatives Haley Stevens (D-MI) and French Hill (R-AR). | |
Photo credit: U.S. Department of State. FBI Director Kash Patel and SPEHA nominee Adam Boehler are in the front row, center. | |
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A panel discussion moderated by Sarah (Levinson) Moriarty, daughter of Robert Levinson – the longest held American held in captivity, featured Adi and Yael Alexander, the parents of the last American hostage believed to be alive held in Gaza, Edan Alexander, plus Alsu Kurmasheva released from captivity in Russia last August, as well as Hostage US Executive Director Liz Cathcart.
Survivors of hostage-taking, and family members of current American captives and those who died in captivity, and their advocates attended the event along with many government officials and NGOs. The event included keynote remarks by Adam Boehler, President Trump’s SPEHA nominee, and FBI Director Kash Patel. The event concluded a ceremonial raising of the national Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Flag outside the headquarters of the State Department.
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A NEW ADMINISTRATION TAKES OFFICE | |
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Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State
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Michael Waltz
U.S. National Security Advisor
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The Trump administration assumed office on January 20 and has already recovered over a dozen Americans from captivity abroad from four countries. Two of these releases came on Inauguration Day, apparently orchestrated during the handover between presidential administrations.
The new administration’s swift actions have again demonstrated a clear commitment to bringing Americans unjustly held captive home, as was the case during the first Trump administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, SPEHA nominee Adam Boehler, and other special envoys to include Richard Grenell and Steve Witkoff, have all taken leading roles in these recoveries.
The Foley Foundation is encouraged by the energy the new administration has brought to the issue of hostage recovery and views the fast start as a hopeful sign that progress can be made on several longstanding cases in addition to others where American captives are facing acute physical and mental health issues.
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THE FOLEY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD MEMBERS | |
Three new members have joined the foundation's board of directors. They are Ambassador Roger D. Carstens, former special presidential envoy for hostage affairs; Ashley Daniel Bell, former State Department official and now CEO of Redemption Holding Company; and Ryan P. Fayhee, a partner at Akin with extensive experience representing current and former hostages of transnational criminal organizations and detainees of foreign governments. | |
2025 JAMES W. FOLEY FREEDOM AWARDS | |
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The Foley Freedom Awards bring families of Americans held captive together with government officials and the media while raising funds for the foundation's work.
April 29, 2025, National Press Club, Washington, DC
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Legacy Achievement Award
JUDY WOODRUFF
Senior correspondent and former anchor and managing editor of PBS News Hour
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American Hostage Freedom Award
JOSHUA GELTZER
Former Legal Advisor to the National Security Council and Former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor
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World Press Freedom Award
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR
CNN's chief international anchor of "Amanpour"
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Humanitarian Award
PARI IBRAHIM
Executive Director, Free Yezidi Foundation
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Robert A. Levinson Excellence in Government Service Award
SANDREA HWANG
Assistant Director, National Counterintelligence Directorate
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Bring Our Families Home Campaign Advocacy Champion Co-Awardee
BRITTNEY GRINER
WNBA Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, Author, and former Wrongful Detainee
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Bring Our Families Home Campaign Advocacy Champion Co-Awardee
VINCENT KOZAR
President, Phoenix Mercury & Valley Suns
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Foley Foundation President and Founder Diane Foley has a full travel schedule in the next couple of months: | |
Arizona State University’s GSV Summit speaking engagement; San Diego, CA; April 6-9; a convening of “the most important leaders across the global education and workforce innovation sector, including investors, educators, policymakers, entrepreneurs and business leaders, to accelerate innovation that gives all people equal access to the future.” | |
American Mother Opera world premiere in Hagen, Germany on May 31 with subsequent performances through June 27; libretto written by Colum McCann | |
During the week of April 28, the Foley Foundation is planning advocacy events and engagements alongside NGO partners with the families of hostages and wrongful detainees while these families are in Washington, D.C. to attend the Foley Freedom Awards. | |
Tuesday, April 29: The Foley Freedom Awards start at 6 PM at the National Press Club. | |
Wednesday, April 30: Families of the Bring Our Families Home Campaign are planning an advocacy event in D.C. to draw public attention to the plight of their loved ones held captive abroad. | |
Thursday, May 1: The Foley Foundation plans to accompany families to Capitol Hill and to executive branch agencies for in-person meetings to advance efforts on their individual cases. The Hostage US Annual Reception starts at 5:30 PM. | |
AMERICAN MOTHER NOW IN PAPERBACK | |
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With National Book Award–winning author Colum McCann, Diane Foley courageously returns to the story of her son, American journalist James Foley, who went abroad and never came home.
The new paperback edition, released in February, includes a new study guide which is being used in high school and university classes, as well as in book clubs.
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“A spectacular tale of violence and forgiveness.” -Salman Rushdie
“A work of great faith and redemption. Here is a woman making the whole world accessible to us all.” -Jamie Lee Curtis
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