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Mother of Journalist Austin Tice Affirms Syrian Authorities' Commitment to His Return
Debra Tice, the mother of American journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped near Damascus in 2012, confirmed that the Syrian authorities are "determined" to return him, during statements she made on Monday after meeting with the head of the new Syrian administration, Ahmad al-Shara, in Damascus.
In a press conference held in the Syrian capital, Tice stated, "During my time in Damascus, I had the honor of meeting the new Syrian leadership... It was wonderful to realize that they are committed and their will is strong to bring my son, and your son, back home."
She expressed during the conference, which was also attended by the president of the "Hostage Aid Worldwide" organization, Nizar Zaka, her hope that "the administration of the new U.S. president, Donald Trump, will be very committed to working on bringing Austin back home."
She added, "His team has already reached out to me... I am very excited to support and engage with them, and I feel they will be swift in this matter."
Zaka met with Debra Tice on Sunday, and the Syrian state news agency "SANA" reported on this meeting.
In this context, the American non-governmental organization "Hostage Aid Worldwide" expressed confidence in December that Tice is still alive, although it has not disclosed concrete information about his whereabouts.
Zaka clarified during a press conference held in Damascus that a photograph was presented indicating the locations where Tice is believed to have been held between November 2017 and February 2024.
Speaking to AFP earlier in January, Zaka confirmed, "We have many leads... and people are reaching out," through a text messaging campaign launched by the organization requesting Syrians across the country to provide any information about Tice.
He added, "We have been checking the walls of the cells one by one," even those that have been painted over or burned, noting that they had visited sites in Damascus and Latakia, and were "monitoring some safe houses in various areas of Syria," in search of Tice.
The organization states that it is working in cooperation with the Tice family and U.S. authorities.
Tice is now 43 years old and worked for Agence France-Presse, McClatchy News, The Washington Post, CBS News, and other media outlets before he was detained at a checkpoint in August 2012.
Under the previous president Bashar al-Assad, the authorities never announced his detention.
It is worth mentioning that after the fall of the Assad regime on December 8 at the hands of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions, many prisoners were released, but many Syrians are still searching for answers regarding the fate of their loved ones.
