As pressure mounts, Biden to sign executive order to deter wrongful detention of Americans abroad

President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Tuesday aimed at deterring and punishing wrongful detention of U.S. citizens abroad by authorizing government agencies to impose sanctions and other measures.

Biden has faced growing pressure from families of hostages and detainees, most recently on the case of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been held in Russia since February and is on trial on drug charges.

Deteriorating ties between the United States and Russia over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine spotlighted her detention and the wider issue.

The United States does not provide an official figure for how many U.S. citizens are detained abroad, but the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, named after an American journalist abducted and killed in Syria, says that more than 60 U.S. citizens are wrongfully detained in about 18 countries.

Some are held by top U.S. adversaries such as Iran, Russia, Venezuela and China.

via Reuters

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