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Welcome to the July edition of the Hostage Aid Worldwide newsletter. This edition is dedicated to former hostages and wrongful detainees who have triumphed over their captivity and returned home to rebuild their lives. | |
FROM HOSTAGE TO AUTHOR: A JOURNEY OF RESILIENCE AND REDEMPTION - NAVIGATING ADVERSITIES AND SHARING A STORY OF UNYIELDING STRENGTH
By Jose Pereira, Former Hostage in Venezuela
(November 21, 2017 - October 01, 2022)
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Reflecting on my harrowing journey from being an oil and gas executive to surviving during 1775 days as an international hostage, I have channeled my experiences into my new book, “From Hero to Villain: My True Story of the Citgo 6.”
This story, born from five years of being captive with unimaginable hardship, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a deeply personal exploration of suffering, hope, and the strength to endure.
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In 2017, my life was upended when I was taken hostage in Venezuela, separated from my family, friends, and everything familiar.
The isolation and constant threats were overwhelming, but it was the anguish felt by my family that left the deepest scars. They were thrust into a life of uncertainty and constant worry, grappling with the fear of losing me forever.
My captivity meant more than physical separation; it cast a long shadow over every aspect of our lives.
During my 5 years of captivity, my wife and I managed to keep our connection alive by smuggling over 1,000 letters to each other in food trash cans every two days that were supplied by my family, echoing the desperate yet hopeful communications reminiscent of Anne Frank’s diary. Each letter was a lifeline, a glimmer of hope in the shadow of captivity. They chronicled not just the hardships I faced, but also the unwavering love and resilience that sustained me through those long years.
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CURRENT HOSTAGE:
PAUL WHELAN
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Paul Whelan is an American veteran who has been unlawfully detained in Russia since 2018. He is a citizen of four countries - the US, Canada, the UK and the Irish Republic. He was arrested by Russia's FSB state security agency in Moscow on December 28, 2018, while visiting for a friend’s wedding. Investigators claimed he was a spy for military intelligence and since then, Paul has been imprisoned on charges of espionage which he and the US government vehemently deny. He was declared wrongfully detained by the US State Department.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020 and has been serving that sentence at a remote prison camp in Mordovia, where he does manual labor at the prison’s clothing factory.
Paul was left behind in two previous U.S. - Russian exchanges ― prisoner swaps for basketball star Brittney Griner in 2022 and another for American Trevor Reed, also in 2022. He has expressed concern that Biden's administration will work out a deal for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who's been held just over a year "and will leave me here a third time."
On June 19, 2024, Paul marked another grim milestone as he surpassed 2,000 days of unlawful detention in Russia.
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Paul Whelan Says His Incarceration ‘Needs to Be Resolved Now’ | |
Speaking on a crackly phone line in a Russian prison, Paul Whelan expressed deep concern that too much time is passing as the U.S. tries to free him and Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich from their illegal imprisonment.
Concerned that the momentum to liberate them might lose traction because it’s an election year, Whelan wants to talk to President Joe Biden.
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FAMILY OF CURRENT HOSTAGE:
JAMSHID SHARMAHD
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Gazelle Sharmahd with her father Jimmy | In a June 2024 interview, Gazelle Sharmahd discusses her ongoing battle in trying to save her father Jimmy from execution in Iran after he was kidnapped in Dubai and taken to Iran. Gazelle discusses her frustration with both the German and American governments who play responsibility ping-ping with her father’s life and the several individual U.S. and European deals, and emphasizes the need for a global task force that involves all governments and brings back all hostages instead of leaving people behind especially those on a death row like her father. | |
RAISING THE HOSTAGES AND WRONGFUL DETAINEES FLAG IN HONOR OF MAJD KAMALMAZ | On June 11, 2024, the U.S. Government commemorated the amazing life and tragic death of Majd Kamalmaz, an American humanitarian who was taken hostage in Syria in February 2017. The Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag was raised all day above the White House, State Department, the Capitol Building, and the Pentagon. | |
HOSTAGE AID WORLDWIDE HONORS THE MEMORY AND LEGACY OF MAJD KAMALMAZ: A FALLEN HERO | |
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On June 12, 2024, Hostage Aid Worldwide President Nizar Zakka and board member Ali Arab met with the family of late American psychotherapist Majd Kamalmaz. Majd was forcibly disappeared in Syria in February 2017 and recently declared dead after his family met with government officials who confirmed this information.
Majd’s family was presented with a token of recognition in honor of Majd to commemorate his extraordinary life of courage and kindness and his honorable service to those in need.
His daughter Maryam was also honored for her resilience, perseverance and strength in fighting for 7 long years for her father's freedom and a word of his fate.
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THE FAMILY OF THE LATE AMERICAN CITIZEN MAJD KAMALMAZ GATHER ON THE STEPS OF THE CAPITOL TO HONOR MAJD’S LIFE | |
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On June 12, 2024, the family of the late American citizen Majd Kamalmaz, joined by members of Congress Joe Wilson and French Hill, gathered on the steps of the capitol to honor Majd's life.
Congressman Wlison opened the ceremony, expressing admiration for Kamalmaz’s life and work. “Dr. Kamalmaz devoted his life to counseling children and families who were forced to leave their communities by the brutal Assad regime,”
Congressman French Hill echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the bipartisan commitment to supporting families of Americans detained overseas. We are working to fight for every American family that has a family member wrongfully detained abroad or held hostage,” Hill stated.
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DR. KYLIE MOORE GILBERT, AUSTRALIAN FORMER HOSTAGE IN IRAN, VISITS WASHINGTON DC | |
Dr. Kylie Moore Gilbert, former hostage in Iran (Sept. 2018 - Nov. 2020) and Hostage Aid Worldwide board member, travelled to DC as a fellow of the Winston Churchill Trust to meet with policy makers, NGOs and experts on wrongful detention. These insights will inform her academic work as a political scientist as well as that of her not-for-profit, the Australian Wrongful and Arbitrary Detention Alliance, which is pushing for the Australian government to institute reforms in this space. Kylie visited Hostage Aid offices and also met with former hostages Nizar Zakka, Siamak and Baquer Namazi as well as Xiyue Wang, Barry Rosen and other former hostages and unlawful detainees who had been held in Iran. | |
CONGRESS HEARING ON THE PLIGHT OF AMERICANS DETAINED ABROAD | |
On June 13, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight & Accountability, chaired by Rep. Brian Mast, held a bi-partisan public hearing on the plight of Americans detained abroad. Families and representatives of American hostages and unlawful detainees were present and acknowledged by Committee chair and members. Witnesses at the hearing included Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Rena Bitter, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Roger Carstens and Director of Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, Rajiv Mann. | |
- French citizen Louis Arnaud was released from unlawful detention in Iran through Oman mediation on June 12, 2024 after 621 days of incarceration.
- Swedish citizens Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi were released from unlawful detention in Iran in exchange for convicted Iranian Hamid Nouri on June 15, 2024.
- Swedish disaster medicine doctor Ahmadreza Djalali, who is sentenced to death in Iran, was left behind in the swap between Sweden and Iran. He addressed the Swedish Prime Minister in a recorded message from Evin Prison, and started a hunger strike on June 26, 2024.
- Three Lebanese brothers, Abbas Fouani, Youssef Fouani, & Amtal Fouani, along with 2 others, were kidnapped in Nigeria on June 14, 2024 and rescued on June 17th.
- The Supreme Court of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan has rejected an appeal by RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva against a decision to extend her pretrial detention.
- American journalist Evan Gershkovich stands trial behind closed doors in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg starting June 26.
- On June 19, 2024, American veteran Paul Whelan marked 2000 days of unlawful detention in Russia.
- Collective work between the Alliance Against Hostage Taking, REDRESS Trust & others resulted in all 3 major UK political parties (Conservatives, UK Labour, and Lib Dems) including commitments to consular assistance to British nationals imprisoned abroad in their manifestos.
- The trial of U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina in the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg began with the judge ruling that the proceedings on a treason charge will take place behind closed doors.
- Imprisoned Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza has been transferred to a cell-type facility - one of Russia's strictest prison regimes - for six months.
- 79 French senators call for the "immediate release" of three French nationals detained in Iran in a letter addressed to the Iranian ambassador Mohammad Amin Nejad, based in Paris.
- The National Press Club along with several journalism and press freedom organizations co-signed a letter calling on President Biden to act now to ensure American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva is declared wrongfully detained.
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DOWNLOAD THE NEW HOSTAGE AID MOBILE APP |
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Hostage Aid has released its latest mobile app version for Apple and Android devices! Included in the app are the powerful Hostage Metrics Engine and the Hostage Risk Predictor at your fingertips!
The Hostage Metrics Engine provides real-time data on unlawful detentions, kidnappings, and releases back to 1977. Leveraging the vast dataset from the Hostage Metrics Engine, the Hostage Risk Predictor uses sophisticated algorithms to analyze patterns and relevant factors and predict the likelihood of individuals being taken hostage or unlawfully detained.
Download the app today to stay informed on the latest news on hostages and unlawfully detained persons around the world!
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