The bill seeks to make March 9 'National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day,' to call increased attention to Americans unjustly held abroad and add urgency to the push to bring them home.
WASHINGTON - Days after the release of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner from imprisonment in Russia, Democratic and Republican U.S. lawmakers will introduce legislation on Tuesday to establish March 9 as an annual day to remember Americans detained abroad.
"Brittney Griner's release and unjust imprisonment has only underscored the need for Congress to continue working to safeguard the lives of wrongfully detained Americans," said Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a lead sponsor of the bill, in a statement. The bill would establish an official "Hostage and Detainee" flag, similar to the black-and-white POW-MIA flag adopted in 1972 to draw attention to Americans held prisoner or missing in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War era.
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a prisoner swap involving Griner - a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Women's National Basketball Association - and arms dealer Viktor Bout.
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