Since 2012, an average of 34 U.S. nationals on average were being wrongfully held each year, according to the Foley Foundation, which advocates for the release of Americans who are held hostage or wrongfully detained.
Brittney Griner waits for the verdict during a hearing outside Moscow on Aug. 4. The WNBA star is one of more than five dozen Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, according to the James. W. Foley Legacy Foundation.
And with an average of 11 new U.S. nationals being detained each year — and the number of releases unable to keep pace with the number of new captives — the challenge facing U.S. negotiators is only building. From 2001 to 2011, roughly five U.S. nationals on average were being wrongfully held each year, according to the Foley Foundation, which advocates for the release of Americans who are held hostage or wrongfully detained. Since 2012, that number has grown to an average of about 34 per year.
The majority of incidents involve nations where the U.S. has extensive sanctions in place: Iran, China, Venezuela, North Korea, Syria and Russia. Taken together, they account for nearly two-thirds of all wrongful detention cases. Researchers found that negotiations in the first year are critical. Among those whose cases ended in release, 56% were detained for a year or less. Just 7% of releases have involved Americans held for more than four years, a population that now represents a plurality of all currently detained U.S. nationals, or some 44%.