The mother of American journalist Austin Tice, who was captured while reporting on a trip to Syria in August 2012, expressed hope on Sunday. The turmoil in Syria will lead to her son’s freedom.
Debra Tice says news that Missourian Travis Timmerman was released from a Syrian prison by rebels felt like “a rehearsal” Her children woke her up when Timmerman’s photos began circulating. spread on social media It was stated that he was Tice.
Asked if Timmerman’s misidentification was a moment of false hope, Debra Tice dismissed it as a moment of shared joy. Timmerman said he traveled to Syria on a spiritual mission earlier this year. and was arrested for entering the country illegally.
Americans were freed from Syrian prisons after the overthrow of Assad led from the country by U.S. soldiers.
Austin Tice, who works as a freelance reporter for the Washington Post and McClatchy Captured while reporting on a trip to Syria in 2012, his mother (pictured) expressed hope on Sunday. The turmoil in Syria will lead to her son’s freedom. (Evelyn Hockstein)
“It was almost like rehearsal … not knowing what it would feel like for Austin to walk freely,” she told NBC’s Meet the Press.
The city of Tice has been the focus of a massive search following the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last week. After a 13-year civil war, rebels led by the armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have released thousands of people from prisons in Damascus where Assad holds political opponents. Ordinary civilian and foreigners
A week after Assad’s ouster US officials Some fear Tice may have been killed during the latest round of Israeli airstrikes. Authorities were also concerned that Tice would be kept underground in a cell. He may have suffocated as Assad’s forces turned off the electricity in several prisons in Damascus before the president escaped.
Debra Tice says news of the recent prison release of Travis Timmerman from Syria has given her new hope that her son, Austin Tice, will walk free. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call)
Syria’s liberated political prisons reveal the gruesome reality of Bashar Assad’s torture system.
Asked whether the U.S. government should look for Tice on the ground in Syria, Debra Tice was cautious, expressing gratitude for the efforts of journalists and other civilians. on the ground to search for him Including from the Hostage Aid Worldwide organization.
“The United States government It was decided not to enter Damascus. So my feeling is If they don’t want to be there It shouldn’t be there. And the people who were there were the people It was determined,” she said.
Tice, who has worked as a freelance reporter for the Washington Post and McClatchy He was one of the first US journalists. who traveled to Syria after the civil war broke out
Debra Tice holds a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington on May 2, 2023. (Evelyn Hockstein)
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In August 2012, during the fighting in Aleppo. He was taken captive.
Weeks later, a YouTube video was released showing Tice blindfolded and his hands tied behind his back. He was led up a hill by armed men in what appeared to be Afghan uniforms and shouted “God is great,” apparently accusing the Islamist rebels who had captured him. Although the video gained attention only when it was posted on the relevant Facebook page. along with Assad supporters
on Friday Reuters was the first to report that in 2013, Tice, a former Marine, tried to escape from his prison cell. and he was seen moving between houses. On the streets of Damascus’ upscale Masseh neighborhood
