HAW - Hostage Aid Worldwide

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Founded by former hostages, HAW works to free other hostages held in foreign countries.

10/22/2026

🚨 BREAKING: Austrian hostage Eva Gretzmacher & Swiss hostage Claudia Abbt have been released after more than a year in captivity.
Eva was abducted in Agadez, Niger, on Jan. 11, 2025, & Claudia on Apr. 13, 2025. Both women have arrived in Benghazi, Libya, following their release.

Congratulations Eva & Claudia. Welcome home 🙏🏻

10/21/2026

HAW Daily Brief:

U.S. Citizen Stephen Hubbard Released By Russia after 4 Years in Jail, and Trump Says "No 'Swap'"
https://hostageaid.org/u-s-citizen-stephen-hubbard-released-by-russia-after-4-years-in-jail-and-trump-says-no-swap/
Washington D.C. - CBS News
Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen who was jailed in Russia for more than four years after being accused of fighting for Ukraine, has been released from custody, President Trump confirmed Wednesday. The release was announced during a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. President Trump said in social media posts that Putin agreed to release Hubbard at his request, with "no 'swap' necessary," though he also said the American would not have been released had the White House not stopped new sanctions against Russia from taking effect last week.

HAW Press Release: Hostage Aid Worldwide Celebrates Stephen Hubbard’s Release from Russian Detention
https://hostageaid.org/hostage-aid-worldwide-celebrates-stephen-hubbards-release-from-russian-detention/
Washington D.C. - Hostage Aid Worldwide
Hostage Aid is immensely grateful to President Trump and his administration for their role in securing Stephen’s release and urges the President to continue these efforts by pressing for the freedom of other Americans who remain wrongfully detained abroad. Stephen is free. For other families, the wait continues. Their loved ones must not be forgotten, and securing their freedom must remain a priority. Trisha Hubbard Fox

10/21/2026

Three men. Three disappearances in Syria. More than a decade without answers.

🇺🇸 Journalist Austin Tice. 🇺🇸 Archbishop Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim. 🇮🇹 Jesuit priest Paolo Dall’Oglio.

Their families are still waiting. Their fates remain unresolved. Time has passed, regimes have changed, yet the truth remains out of reach.

President Donald J. Trump & Giorgia Meloni, please make their cases a priority. Demand answers from those who may know what happened & press for the truth.

You have the means. You have the tools. You have the allies. These men must not be allowed to disappear from the world’s conscience simply because years have passed. Their fate cannot remain an open question with no consequences.

Their families deserve answers. Their cases demand action. They need to be brought home.

Palazzo Chigi - Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale Marco Rubio U.S. Department of State Antonio Tajani Free Austin Tice NOW

10/21/2026

HAW Press Release: Hostage Aid Celebrates Stephen Hubbard’s Release from Russian Detention

Hostage Aid gladly celebrates the release of Stephen Hubbard after more than four years of unlawful detention in Russia. At 74, after reports of torture and declining health in captivity, Stephen is finally free to recover from an ordeal no one should have to endure. His release brings long-awaited relief to a family that spent years fearing for his life and fighting for his freedom.
Stephen, an American retired teacher, was detained in April 2022 in Izium, Ukraine. Russian authorities accused him of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. He was convicted in a closed-door trial in October 2024 and sentenced to nearly seven years in prison. His family disputed the allegations, and the United States formally designated him as wrongfully detained in January 2025.
Throughout Stephen’s detention, his sister, Patricia “Trisha” Hubbard Fox, fought tirelessly to bring him home. Hostage Aid advocated for Stephen from the beginning and remained in contact with his family, following and supporting their fight through times of uncertainty and concern for his well-being.
“We are really thankful for Stephen’s release. He has lost years of his life to captivity that he can never get back. Today, we celebrate his freedom and applaud his sister, Trisha, whose determination to bring her brother home never wavered. I know the toll captivity takes, not only on the person behind bars, but also on his loved ones waiting outside. I hope Stephen can now begin his journey of healing, regain his strength & enjoy the comfort of being surrounded by the people who love him,” said Nizar Zakka, President & Founder of Hostage Aid Worldwide.

Hostage Aid is immensely grateful to President Trump and his administration for their role in securing Stephen’s release and urges the President to continue these efforts by pressing for the freedom of other Americans who remain wrongfully detained abroad.

Read HAW’s full press release on our website: https://hostageaid.org/hostage-aid-worldwide-celebrates-stephen-hubbards-release-from-russian-detention/

Trisha Hubbard Fox

10/21/2026

🚨 Breaking: Stephen Hubbard has been RELEASED!

Steve is a 74-year-old American veteran & former teacher who was unlawfully detained in Russia in Apr. 2, 2022.

Congratulations to Steve & his family. Welcome home!

Trisha Hubbard Fox

10/20/2026

HAW Daily Brief:

US Adds ‘Wrongful Detention’ Warning for Americans Travelling to China
https://hostageaid.org/us-adds-wrongful-detention-warning-for-americans-travelling-to-china/
Hong Kong - South China Morning Post
The advisory urges Americans travelling to mainland China to exercise caution due to the “arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the use of exit bans without a fair and transparent process under the law, and the risk of wrongful detention”.
“The US Department of State takes seriously its commitment to provide Americans with clear, timely and reliable information about destinations across the globe so they can make informed travel decisions,” the statement said. “The [department] has determined that Americans are at serious risk of wrongful detention in China.”

10/20/2026

Ahmadreza Djalali.
Sweden knows his name very well. So does the EU. Yet his life hangs in the balance while years of diplomatic efforts have failed to secure his release.
Ulf Kristersson Maria Malmer Stenergard Kaja Kallas, what will Sweden & the EU do differently to change the outcome?
Ahmadreza’s life cannot remain the price of Europe’s inaction.

Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs European Parliament Council of the European Union Roberta Metsola Amnesty International Belgique francophone Amnesty International België Vlaanderen The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights

Address

1906 Sunderland Place , NW
Washington D.C., DC
20036

Website

http://HostageAid.org/

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