Exclusive information obtained by The Media Line confirms that U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in Syria in 2012, and several other detained journalists are alive, but in urgent need of food and water. Tice, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer, and the other journalists are being hidden in a secure location by a member of the ousted Syrian regime who is attempting to ensure their safe escape from the country.
Efforts to ensure the safety of the detained journalists are ongoing. A source in Damascus told The Media Line that Tice and the others have been without food or water since the regime fell. Deliveries are impossible as the person protecting them is in a separate location, and any movement risks compromising their safety.
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Debra Tice, mother of journalist Austin Tice who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, holds a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, U.S., May 2, 2023
(Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters/File Photo)
Tice vanished on August 12, 2012, while reporting on clashes near Damascus during Syria’s civil war. A month later, a video surfaced showing him blindfolded and in the custody of unidentified armed men. No group has ever claimed responsibility for his abduction. The Assad regime repeatedly denied knowledge of his whereabouts, though U.S. officials maintained that he was likely being held by the Syrian government or its allies.
Born in Texas in 1981, Tice graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in 2002 and completed two years at Georgetown’s Law Center before traveling to Syria as a freelance journalist. A former Marine Corps infantry officer, he served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before pursuing his passion for reporting.
Tice’s journalism, which included battlefield dispatches from inside Syria, was published by The Washington Post, McClatchy, Al Jazeera English, and Agence France-Presse, among others. His reporting was among the contributions cited when McClatchy received the George Polk Award for war reporting in Syria.
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In the years following his disappearance, Tice’s parents have worked tirelessly to raise awareness about his case. Advocacy efforts include the #FreeAustinTice campaign launched by Reporters Without Borders and a $1 million reward offered by the FBI for information leading to his location. U.S. President Joe Biden has repeatedly affirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to securing Tice’s release, stating with certainty in 2024 that Tice was being held by the Syrian government.
On the day of the Assad regime’s fall, President Biden said: “We think we can get him back,” offering renewed hope for Tice’s return. As Syria faces an uncertain future, the safe rescue of detained journalists, including Tice, remains a priority for those negotiating with remnants of the ousted regime.