The U.S. is commemorating its first National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day on March 9, established by bipartisan legislation signed into law by President Biden. The day serves as a remembrance for Americans wrongfully held overseas and was introduced by Reps. Haley Stevens and French Hill, and Sen. Chris Coons. The legislation also created a national flag for wrongfully detained Americans and hostages, which was raised for the first time outside the State Department on March 8. The flag, black and yellow in color, is reminiscent of America’s prisoners of war and missing in action flag.
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell announced at the flag-raising ceremony that the flag will be raised outside the State Department every year on March 9. It will also be flown when an American hostage held abroad either dies or returns home. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a video address, shared that he had been able to cross off 46 names from a list of Americans held hostage or unjustly detained over the past three years. The flag-raising ceremony was attended by former hostages, their families, and families of those who remain wrongfully detained abroad.
The date of March 9 holds special significance for the family of Robert Levinson, the longest-held American hostage who disappeared in Iran in 2007. Levinson’s daughter, Sarah Levinson Moriarty, expressed the importance of turning a negative day into a positive one by advocating for awareness and the flag being codified. The flag can fly on three days of the year, including Hostage Day on March 9, Flag Day on June 14, and July 4, as well as when a hostage dies abroad or returns home. The flag’s design was created with input from families of those wrongfully detained, symbolizing the passage of time for detainees.
Families of Americans wrongfully detained abroad have been actively advocating for their loved ones’ release, including staging sit-ins outside the White House to pressure the administration to do more. The grassroots organization Bring Our Families Home has been leading efforts to bring attention to these cases and urge the government to take action. The families of hostages held in countries like China and Iran have been pushing for meetings with the President to seek resolution to their cases. The Biden administration has made progress in dealing with American hostages, with efforts to support families and work towards their release.
