Presidential Document2024-05441
U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, 2024
Primary source
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Published
March 13, 2024
Signed
March 8, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 50 (Wednesday, March 13, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 13, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 18339-18340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05441]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89 , No. 50 / Wednesday, March 13, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 18339]]
Proclamation 10709 of March 8, 2024
U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, 2024
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Today--and every day--the United States reaffirms our
sacred pledge to American hostages and detainees
wrongfully held abroad: We see you. We stand with you.
We will not stop working until you are home and
reunited with your family.
This has been a priority for my Administration since
day one--and we have made important progress. Over the
last 3 years, we have brought home more than 60
Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained
around the world, including from Afghanistan, Burma,
Gaza, Haiti, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Venezuela, West
Africa, and more. But we have much more work to do. Too
many Americans remain illegally and wrongfully
detained, fearing for their lives and not knowing what
tomorrow will bring. Too many families remain ripped
apart, living in agony and uncertainty every day their
loved one remains wrongfully held abroad. No family--
and no American--should have to endure this suffering
and separation.
That is why my Administration has taken unprecedented
action to secure the release of all Americans held
hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. In 2022, I
signed an Executive Order to strengthen our efforts to
address the scourge of hostage-taking and wrongful
detention, including issuing more severe consequences
for actors that illegally detain American citizens and
attempt to use human beings as bargaining chips. Last
year, we issued the first-ever sanctions against
actors--including in Russia and Iran--for engaging in
this abhorrent practice. My Administration has also
focused on preventing these cases from occurring in the
first place. We have joined 74 nations around the world
and the European Union in endorsing the Declaration
Against Arbitrary Detention. Finally, we have focused
on providing families with loved ones held hostage or
wrongfully detained abroad with the resources and
support services they deserve.
Here at home, the Department of State launched a risk
indictor that warns travelers if there is a high threat
of wrongful detention at their destination. For more
information on travel advisories, go to
<a href="http://travel.state.gov">travel.state.gov</a>.
As President, I have no higher duty than ensuring the
safety and security of my fellow Americans--including
all those who remain held hostage or wrongfully
detained abroad. I will continue to work to bring them
home. I will continue to leverage every resource to
punish and deter actors who engage in this despicable
and unacceptable practice. I will not stop these
efforts until every American is accounted for and
safely back home. Today--and every day--that is my
pledge.
The Congress, by Public Law 118-31 approved December
22, 2023, has designated March 9 of each year as ``U.S.
Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day.''
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March
9, 2024, as U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. On
this day, as we fly the Hostage and Wrongful Detainee
flag at the White House, I call upon the people of the
United States to observe this day with relevant
programs, ceremonies, and activities.
[[Page 18340]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.
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(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-05441
Filed 3-12-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on March 13, 2024.
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