The next is textual content of a letter from Eileen O’Reilly, President of the Nationwide Press Membership, and Gil Klein, President of the Nationwide Press Membership Journalism Institute, and co-signed by main journalism organizations calling on the Biden Administration to prioritize the issue of hostage taking of journalists by state actors:

Expensive President Biden:

We name upon you to instantly prioritize the discharge of two U.S. journalists being held hostage overseas: Austin Tice, who was taken in Syria 10.5 years in the past, and Evan Gershkovich, who was imprisoned by Russian safety forces two weeks in the past. Journalism isn’t a criminal offense and shouldn’t be punished.

We additionally ask you and your administration to prioritize addressing any unjust detention of journalists by overseas powers. Usually this motion is taken to each silence the vital work the journalist is doing, and to make use of the journalist as leverage in a negotiation. Each are atrocious and in violation of worldwide protocols. In fact, these entities might require the journalist to depart the nation however select to take them hostage as a substitute. When this occurs, they achieve harming and destabilizing international locations like the USA, the place democracy requires the free circulation of data.

When a U.S. passport holder, who’s a working, credentialed journalist is taken prisoner, the USG ought to instantly declare this a wrongful detention. We observe that within the latest case of Evan Gershkovich, it took the State Division 13 days to declare his case a “wrongful detention.” Whereas he waited for the designation to be declared, Evan was in solitary confinement. In accordance with the United Nations Torture Conference, solitary confinement for 15 days or extra is torture. Some research point out irreversible mind harm can happen from durations of solitary confinement of greater than 20 days. These early days are a vital time for hostages. Our authorities’s inside course of have to be streamlined as overseas entities can use our sluggish paperwork to punish journalists.

The State Division means that whereas they observe their course of towards a wrongful detention designation, the detainee may have entry to consular visits. However with Evan, that was not finished. The Russian authorities allowed no consular visits in violation of treaties. It was every week earlier than Evan was in a position to see his lawyer. It was the prohibition of consular visits that makes the solitary so punitive. In the meantime, throughout this time the Russian propaganda unfold unchecked, false fees had been unfold via the media. It’s important that US designation of wrongful detention be a part of these early information cycles to refute the unfold of disinformation and to guard the journalist.

We urge you to behave now to acquire the discharge of unjustly detained journalists, Austin Tice and Evan Gershkovich, and to prioritize any circumstances of hostage taking of journalists by state actors.”

Sincerely,