Parents renew call for release of son
Reporter Austin Tice, a Houston native, was taken 6 years ago while in Syria
Six years after journalist Austin Tice was kidnapped while reporting in Syria, Marc and Debra Tice swung through Washington and New York on Tuesday with one simple message: Enough. It’s time to bring Austin home.
“The American government and the Syrian government need to engage directly to secure Austin’s safe release,” Debra Tice said Sunday. “It’s been six years.”
Tice, a 37-yearold Houston native and former Marine, disappeared six years ago while reporting on the Syrian civil war for The Washington Post, the McClatchy newspaper chain and other news outlets.
The Tices reiterated calls for their son’s release in an appearance on NBC’s “Today Show,” and in a stop at the National Press Club, which hosted an exhibition of photographs that Austin shot in Syria while covering the conflict there.
The exhibition — titled “Children of Syria” — was first displayed at Georgetown University. Debra Tice said she hopes to display it at other universities in Washington and elsewhere, and at the U.S. Senate and House.
The Tices’ visit to the nation’s capital comes as the Trump administration has prioritized the
recovery of American hostages — including the May release of three Americans held prisoner in North Korea and the July freeing of a Houston native jailed in Vietnam — and amid a shift in the U.S. government’s efforts to locate Tice in recent years.
In April, the FBI announced that it was offering a $1 million reward for information leading to Tice’s whereabouts and his return to the U.S.
Focusing attention
Margaux Ewen, the North America director for Reporters Without Borders, the press freedom watchdog, said Tice’s story needs to remain a priority for American journalists.
“It’s certainly challenging, the way news is produced and shared these days, to keep the public’s attention on Austin because he’s been gone so long,” she said. “But when people do hear about Austin, most are supportive and want to help, and the way they can help is by spreading the word about his case.”
According to Reporters Without Borders, more foreign journalists are held captive in Syria than anywhere else, with three people missing for longer than five years. Of those, Tice is the lone American being held abroad. Kevin Patrick Dawes, a photographer from California, was kidnapped in 2012 by government forces and released four years later. Jordanian journalist Bashar al-Kadumi and British reporter John Cantlie have been held captive there since 2012, a Reporters Without Borders report from last year noted.
The Tices have steadfastly pushed to keep attention focused on Austin’s plight and to bring him home.
Since 2012, they have visited dozens of government officials. They’ve worked with Clear Channel to show Tice’s story on billboards around Houston, launched a campaign in newspapers nationwide to highlight his story, traveled to the Middle East in search of information about their son’s whereabouts, and appeared on major TV networks to press for his release.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Monday that Tice’s absence over the past six years has proved an “unimaginable and devastating” time for Tice’s family and friends.
“I’m in awe of their perseverance as they continue their relentless push to bring him home,” he said, renewing past calls for Tice’s release. “I’m thankful the Trump administration shares my desire to see him come home as soon as possible.”
Courage and fortitude
Officials from the news organizations where Tice worked have also continued to press for his return and raise awareness about his work. Washington Post Foreign Editor Douglas Jehl said that Tice’s stories from Syria contributed important, on-the-ground reporting at a decisive phase in the conflict.
“His family has endured unimaginable pain as a result of his captivity,” he said. “His parents, Debra and Marc Tice, have championed his cause with passion, courage and fortitude.”
Officials at the McClatchy newspaper chain penned op-eds calling for Tice’s release. Last week, company officials raised flags emblazoned with the phrase “Free Austin Tice” at its 33 newsrooms across the country, another move meant to bring attention to his absence.
“We owe it to Austin, to his family and to journalists everywhere to keep telling his story,” said Tim Grieve, McClatchy’s vice president of news. “And it’s a somber reminder for all Americans about the risks journalists take every day to do their jobs and keep us informed.”