Category Archive

By Katie Symansky Hunter. October 2023 Among the countless challenges faced by former wrongful detainees and hostages upon their return home, is the process of becoming a member of their own family again. It can be jarring to realize that while away, your family has changed. Children have gotten older, spouses have taken on more responsibilities, and extended families may … Read More

View the Annual Sponsor & Underwriting Opportunities Over 200 Americans are estimated to be taken hostage and wrongfully detained each year. Hostage US is the only organization that provides support and professional services to families during captivity and to former captives when they return home. This experience is terrifying for everyone involved. Family members are shocked and unprepared when they … Read More

Read about our accomplishments over the past year in our 2023 Annual Report. Thank you for your support and commitment to our work. View the Annual Report online View as a PDF or download the Annual Report

By Katie Symansky Hunter, July 2023 In our last quarterly article, we focused on how a wrongful detainment or hostage situation affects family dynamics from the perspective of the one left behind. The partner who is still at home trying desperately to get their loved one home, while also managing the obstacles that make up everyday life. That article can … Read More

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

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.

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

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

Download the Report here

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

ISIS murdered her son. But she wasn’t going to let that be his only legacy. By Marilyn W. Thompson, May 10, 2018 Diane Foley poses for a portrait in her office at the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation in Rochester, N.H. Foley started the foundation in honor of her son, a reporter who in 2014 became the first U.S. hostage killed … Read More

Bonice Thomas challenged government officials to do more for Canadians kidnapped abroad Thomas went up against the RCMP, the diplomats, the military and the politicians after her brother Robert Hall was abducted and murdered in the Philippines.

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

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

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