@FreeKaiLi

Kai Li (60) is an American citizen wrongfully detained in China since September 2016, immediately after stepping off a plane to Shanghai to attend a memorial for the one-year anniversary of his mother's passing. He is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence on false charges of "espionage" and "stealing state secrets" - the same charges levied against the Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. According to his attorney, the alleged "state secrets" in his case file are freely searchable on the Internet, even in China. Kai's prison sentence was deemed arbitrary by the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in early 2021, yet his family is not aware of substantive negotiations from the US government to secure his release. Kai spent more than two months under Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL), in which he was harshly interrogated day and night by state security agents without any access to legal counsel or knowledge of his location. While in prison, Kai suffered a stroke resulting from high blood pressure - despite previously suffering from low blood pressure. For weeks at a time, Kai has been confined to a tiny cell with up to 11 other inmates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no consular visits, phone calls, or other means of communicating with the outside world. His family hopes that senior White House officials including President Biden will meet with them immediately to discuss options for Kai's return home.

www.freekaili.org

David Lin is a 67 yr old American citizen who has been imprisoned in China for over 16 years. He was falsely accused of contract fraud and convicted to a life-sentence in prison. Despite multiple attempts to extract a confession, he has fiercely defended his innocence. When his family started to share his story, he was adopted by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and advocated for by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC).

David is elderly and in frail health. His family is extremely worried, especially as conditions have deteriorated since the beginning of the pandemic. David’s family does not have access to much information, but they are aware that David has lost five teeth due to the poor nutrition and hygiene during his time in prison.

@freemarkswidan

While planning to do a makeover on the house he bought in Houston and with his upcoming wedding in December 2012, businessman, Mark Swidan, went to China to find flooring, fixtures, and furniture. His driver and translator took him to the warehouses. After listing what he wanted, he was ready to come home. His mother was on the phone with him. He asked her to send him $80.00, so he had cash on him for food on his way home. She heard the commotion and the phone cut off. He had been "detained" for "questioning" by Chinese police. He has been detained for over 9 yrs. His driver and translator were previously arrested for having drugs. Mark had nothing on him. They took everything he had and interrogated him brutally for days.

@Shahab_Dalili

Shahab Dalili, a 60-year-old husband and father of two, was taken hostage during a short family-related visit to Iran in April 2016. Shahab and his family are from Gainesville, VA. They arrived in the US and received their Legal Permanent Resident status in August 2014. His family is all naturalized US citizens now and Shahab would have been one too by now if he had not been taken hostage as a Legal Permanent Resident. We plead with Secretary Blinken and President Biden to not forget him and not leave him behind during the negotiations with Iran.

@freepaulwhelan

Paul Whelan was in Moscow in December 2018, to help with the wedding of a former Marine. During his stay, on December 28, 2018, he was set up and arrested by the FSB. Paul was assigned a Russian-speaking lawyer by the FSB (Paul does not speak Russian), denied consular access, and held for a year and a half in the notorious Lefortovo prison before suffering a secretive sham trial in the summer of 2020. Paul Whelan often endured solitary confinement in the prison and was subject to emergency hernia surgery in the prison shortly before the trial. In June of that year, although no credible evidence was presented, Paul was sentenced to 16 years in a harsh regime labor camp in the province of Mordovia where he has been held ever since.

Paul now lives in dilapidated, Dickensian conditions with dozens of hardened prisoners in barracks. His days are spent working in a garment factory, and he is given only subsistence-level food. Paul has also experienced solitary confinement at the gulag.

During his wrongful detention, the Ambassadors of the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland have spoken out about him and visited him in prison. Three Congressional resolutions have been passed on his behalf. The highest levels of the US government have repeatedly called for his release.

Russia's malevolence knows no bounds, and the longer Paul is forced to stay detained in a gulag, the more precarious his future will be. All efforts must be made to secure his immediate release and remove him from real and present danger.

freepaulwhelan.com

Andre Khachatoorian is a 38-year-old American citizen of Armenian descent. He is an incredibly caring son, brother, and family man who got engaged to the love of his life 3 months before being captured by the Russian government at the Sheremetyevo International Airport on December 27, 2021.

Andre was transiting in Moscow for 3 hours before traveling to Armenia to spend his first holidays with his fiancée. But at the Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russian authorities questioned Andre for his small firearm, which was secured and locked in his suitcase holding all licenses and ownership documents. Andre had attempted to declare it at LAX at the luggage check-in location at Aeroflot Airlines Desk, where Aeroflot personnel informed him he could fill out the declaration form before traveling to Armenia, and would be guided to properly declare his weapon as he was not traveling to Russia.

For days, Andre attempted to call US embassy officials, seeking help from authorities with no luck. He was not allowed access to his critical medications during this time, and eventually detained for violating Russian law by traveling with a weapon inside his luggage. After twelve months of court delays, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Andre’s family is extremely worried. They struggle to provide and deliver him the proper medications for his respiratory ailments as well as basic necessities. Andre’s requests to be under specialist evaluation each month, as needed, have been denied by the judge for 19 months and counting. Andre's family is pleading with the US Government to recognize his wrongful detention and ensure his release and safe return home.

@FreeMajdK

Majd Kamalmaz, a 64-year-old son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather to thirteen grandchildren, is an award-winning humanitarian and psychotherapist. Majd specializes in Trauma Therapy and has treated those who have suffered extreme trauma all over the world. His non-profit institute, International Institute for Psychosocial Development (IIPD), had two offices in Lebanon where he treated thousands of refugees dealing with traumatic mental and emotional health.

Majd had also considered opening a new center in Syria for anyone who needed mental and emotional treatment. In February of 2017, he entered Syria to check on a very ill and elderly family member. In less than 24 hours of his arrival, Majd was unjustly detained at a checkpoint in Damascus, Syria. Thoughts have led all to believe that his detention is due to the fact of the discovery of his American passport. His family has had no contact with him since the day he disappeared. Even though there is very little known about him, the family feels confident Majd is alive and is awaiting his release.

Austin Tice is an award winning journalist, the recipient of the 2012 George Polk Award for War Reporting, the 2012 McClatchy Newspapers President’s Award, and the 2015 National Press Club John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award. He is a veteran Captain in the United States Marine Corps, graduate of Georgetown University, National Merit Finalist and an Eagle Scout.

In May of 2012, the summer before Austin’s final year at Georgetown Law School, he chose to go to Syria as a freelance journalist. Austin went to tell the story of the ongoing conflict there and its impact on the ordinary people of Syria.

On August 14, 2012, Austin was on his way to Lebanon when he was detained at a checkpoint near Damascus.

Five weeks later, a 43-second video emerged with the title, “Austin Tice is Alive”. No other message accompanied the video. Austin has been held in silence. The United States government and other credible sources are certain Austin is alive. We are confident the Syrian government has the capability of securing Austin's release and safe return.

We ask the governments of the Syrian Arab Republic and the United States to engage in diplomatic dialogue and make a sincere effort to allow Austin Tice to walk free.

@zackbackhome

Zack Shahin is an American hostage in the United Arab Emirates for the last 15 years on an alleged white collar crime. On the 23rd of March 2023, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued their ruling pertaining Zack S. Shahin whereby they found he has been arbitrarily detained for 15 years, kidnapped on two counts, and subjected to numerous human rights crimes and violations including torture, hence incriminating the UAE government officials, UAE national airline carrier, as well as the Yemeni government officials. There were similar findings by the Foley Foundation and Human Rights Watch.

In exchange for a few trade and defense contracts, the US State Department has/is turning a blind eye to the fact that the UAE which enjoy great bilateral ties with the US has been holding an American citizen hostage for 15 years.

http://www.bringzackhome.org

Trevor Reed, freed from Russia in April 2022 after 985 days

Mark Frerichs, freed from Afghanistan in September 2022 after 962 days

Alirio Zambrano, freed from Venezuela in October 2022 after 1,775 days

Jose Luis Zambrano, freed from Venezuela in October 2022 after 1,775 days

Matthew Heath, freed from Venezuela in October 2022 after 752 days

Jorge Toledo, freed from Venezuela in October 2022 after 1,775 days

Jose Angel Pereira, freed from Venezuela in October 2022 after 1,775 days

Baquer Namazi, freed from Iran in October 2022 after 2,413 days

Brittney Griner, freed from Russia in December 2022 after 294 days

Jeffery Woodke, freed from Niger in March 2023 after 2,348 days

Paul Rusesabagina, freed from Rwanda in March 2023 after 935 days

Emad Shargi, freed from Iran in September 2023 after 1,975 days

Morad Tahbaz, freed from Iran in September 2023 after 2,078 days

Siamak Namazi, freed from Iran in September 2023 after 2,898 days

Luke Denman, freed from Venezuela in December 2023 after 1,325 days

Airan Berry, freed from Venezuela in December 2023 after 1,325 days

Eyvin Hernandez, freed from Venezuela in December 2023 after 630 days

Joseph Cristella, freed from Venezuela in December 2023 after 462 days

Jerrel Kenemore, freed from Venezuela in December 2023 after 643 days

Reach out to us at bofhcampaign@protonmail.com