Syria

Mother of US Reporter Missing in Syria Asks Putin for Help

Published DEC 19 2024

Story

Above: Debra Tice, mother of Austin Tice, appears on "Meet the Press" in Washington D.C. on Dec. 15, 2024. Image credit: William B. Plowman/Contributor/NBC via Getty Images

The Facts

The mother of Austin Tice — the US journalist who went missing in Syria more than a decade ago — on Wednesday sent Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin a letter asking him to help locate her son.
NBC
"The current situation in Syria compels us to ask for your help in finding Austin and safely reuniting our family," Debra Tice said. She added, "In this holiday season of peace and goodwill, we respectfully request your assistance in finding Austin and safely reuniting him with our family."
NBC
Austin Tice, a former Marine Corps captain, left his law studies at Georgetown University in 2012 to report on the Syria conflict, then in its infancy. Having snuck into the country from Turkey and embedded himself with the Free Syrian Army, which had then been fighting Bashar al-Assad's government, it's believed he was detained by Syrian authorities 83 days later.
The Independent
Though little was known of his whereabouts since, hopes that he might be found alive were renewed this month after the government's collapse and prisoners were released from jails across the country. Among them was Travis Timmerman, another US citizen who was imprisoned in Syria after crossing into the country on a Christian pilgrimage.
The Independent
The Independent
Another former inmate, Sahar al-Ahmad, is alleged to have seen Tice as late as July 2022. Meanwhile, Syria's new leadership said they are trying to locate Tice, though currently without any success.
NBC
Prior to writing to Putin, Debra Tice also wrote to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Dec. 14, urging him to pause strikes in Syria while work to clear the prisons continued. Netanyahu responded this week, telling the mother to "rest assured" that Israel Defense Forces are not operating in areas where Tice is believed to be located.
Voice of America
Timesofisrael

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Since the fall of Assad's regime, US officials are doing all they can to locate Austin Tice. Top hostage negotiators are engaging with relevant stakeholders on the ground and multiple US agencies have offered large rewards for useful information.

CNN

Establishment-critical narrative

The Syrian government, prior to its collapse, repeatedly said that Austin Tice was never held by its authorities and that American assertions otherwise are fabrications. The country was overrun by numerous terrorist groups and militias. It's more likely that they're responsible for Tice's disappearance.