Hostage US Article: He’s Home! Now What?

He’s Home! Now What? 3 women talk about reuniting with their loved ones after a wrongful detention. By Katie Symansky- Hunter, April 2023 *The names of individuals and countries are changed for the sake of confidentiality. When your partner is taken away from you, held in a prison cell in a hostile country, and held for no other reason than … Read More

Hostage US Article: Finding Your Center in the Eye of the Storm

Finding Your Center in the Eye of the Storm Hostage US Article By: Katie Symansky Hunter, January 2023 When a loved one is taken hostage or wrongfully detained, it can feel like a cycle of unending ups and downs, alternating hope and worry, optimism, and despair, while we ourselves are prisoners of the uncertainty and shifting tides of changing expectations. … Read More

Hostage US 2022 Annual Report

Please take some time to read about our accomplishments over the past year in our 2022 Annual Report. Thank you for your commitment to our critical mission. View the Annual Report here. Download the Annual Report here.

Hostage US Article: Navigating the Phases of a Long-Running Case

Navigating the Phases of a Long-Running Case Hostage US Article By Winnie Lee, August, 2022 It can be hard to imagine learning the news that your loved one has been wrongfully detained or kidnapped in another country, far from home. For families navigating long-running cases, months turn to years and while new challenges and issues arise, Hostage US works to … Read More

Hostage US Article: Finding Purpose After a Kidnapping

Finding Purpose After a Kidnapping Hostage US Article July 2022 By Winnie Lee “I believed my purpose died out there in the desert – but it didn’t.” It has been ten years since Jessica Buchanan was released after 93 days of being held hostage by Somali pirates, and although she has come a long way, it has not been easy. … Read More

The Family’s Perspective: Miles Hargrove on “Miracle Fishing”

The Family’s Perspective: Miles Hargrove discusses the making of his feature film, Miracle Fishing, which documents his father’s kidnapping Miles Hargrove’s father, Tom, was kidnapped in Colombia in 1994 while working as an agricultural scientist. During the 11 months of his captivity, his wife Susan encouraged their son Miles to pick up his Super-8 camera to capture some of the … Read More

Hostage US Article: The Conversation of Wrongful Detainment

The Conversation of Wrongful Detainment January 2022 Wrongful detainment. Unlawful imprisonment. Arbitrary detention. Although each of these terms begins with an adjective that describes the unjust nature of the act, the fact that a jail—and therefore an authority—is involved usually requires a little more explanation in conversation. Properly defining these terms will help the public and the world at large … Read More

Hostage US 2021 Annual Report

Please take some time to read about our accomplishments over the past year in our 2021 Annual Report. Thank you for your commitment to our critical mission. Download the PDF here.

Hostage US Article: It Takes a Tribe

It Takes a Tribe October 2021 When a loved one is taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, it’s a steep learning curve for the family involved. There is a sudden and immediate break from the trajectory of a familiar reality and families often feel thrust into a web of government meetings, accumulating expenses, legal questions, exhaustion, terror, and isolation. Likewise, … Read More

Former Hostage Talks: The Hardest Part

Hear directly from former hostages in this Hostage US podcast as they describe captivity. Each former hostage talks about the experience of being kidnapped, living in captivity, and what it was like for their families back home. They also explain the challenges involved in coming home and navigating reintegration and the process of healing after being held. Thank you to … Read More

Panel Discussion: What Security Managers Need to Know When an Employee is Taken Hostage

ASIS International What Security Managers Need to Know When an Employee is Taken Hostage Despite a robust travel risk mitigation program, an employee is taken hostage. What’s next? Many organizations have plans to get a hostage home. But most have not thought through how they will support that employee’s family during the crisis or what will happen once the hostage is released. Why does it matter to … Read More

Hostage US Article: Hostage Shaming

Hostage US Article, July 2021 Hostage Shaming By Winnie Lee Shame is one of the most painful, toxic, and self-destructive emotions a person can have. It involves feelings of guilt, regret, embarrassment, or sadness surrounding the belief that you have done something wrong. Jessica Buchanan, who was held in Somalia for 93 days, says that “shame is probably the number … Read More

2020 Annual Report

View the interactive Hostage US 2020 Annual Report by clicking the thumbnail below. On mobile devices, please view a PDF of the report here 2020 Annual Report.

MSG & CEO Damon Walsh 5k race for Hostage US

Damon Walsh, CEO and Co-Founder of Mission Solutions Group (MSG) and a team of MSG runners are racing to raise money for Hostage US in the Rock ‘n’ Roll 5K and Half Marathon! Damon has gone above and beyond by spearheading this team with a fundraising goal of $5000 going toward the families and hostages we serve. Join MSG and their … Read More

Hostage US announces new Board and Advisory Council Members

Hostage US announces new Board and Advisory Council Members · Former hostage elected to Board of Directors · Former special assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism joins Advisory Council · Former presidential envoy for Hostage Affairs joins Advisory Council Washington, D.C., September 19, 2018 – Hostage US today announced its newest Board and Advisory Council members. Journalist … Read More

Mourning the loss of Canadian Warrior Woman Bonice Thomas

On Monday evening 30 April, Bonice Hall Thomas moved on from her mortal body. She was supported by her loving family and friends and the caring staff and volunteers at Shornecliffe and Sunshine Coast Hospice, Sechelt, BC.   Bonice was a true maverick and lived life based on her convictions, refuting many of the pressures of our dominant society. We … Read More

Washington Post: What is an imprisoned journalist worth? For Turkey, it might be a German arms purchase.

By: Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post January 25, 2018 Along with increased pressure and threats from unfriendly governments, journalists in some parts of the world face the prospect of becoming bargaining chips. The German magazine Der Spiegel reported this week that Berlin is considering allowing Ankara to make a previously prohibited arms purchase from a German firm in exchange for the … Read More

‘You feel blessed’ — Former Lincolnite released from Congolese prison

Lincoln Journal Star: Marcel Pika Released from Congolese Prison   By Peter Salter, Lincoln Journal Star January 8, 2018 He woke Christmas morning in Omaha to a half-dozen missed calls and messages — from his mother in the Republic of Congo, from a man who knew what went on where his father was imprisoned. Percy Pika had grown to fear … Read More

New Kidnapping Trends on the Global Stage

New Kidnapping Trends on the Global Stage    The following summary was sourced from Frank Grimm, Director of Crisis Response Services for Constellis, an international security company, at the June 2017 Hostage US Annual Washington, DC Seminar.  The material is shared on an informational basis only and does not infer any formal relationship nor verification with the provider. Statistics of … Read More

WSJ: If You’re Arrested Abroad, the U.S. May Not Bail You Out

If You’re Arrested Abroad, the U.S. May Not Bail You Out The State Department needs to do a better job protecting travelers—and warning of the danger. By  Jared Genser July 23, 2017 I represent two Americans, Siamak Namazi and his father, Baquer, being held in deplorable conditions in Iran’s Evin Prison. Last October they were sentenced to 10 years on … Read More

Hostage US Launches Training for Organizations on Family Support and Hostage Reintegration

Hostage US launched tailored training available to organizations to educate employers on Duty of Care obligations to their employees in the case of an international kidnapping. Many organizations have tried and tested policies and procedures to handle to operational response to a kidnapping – covering prevention and response, yet most have not thought through the human dynamics of a hostage … Read More