Number of U.S. nationals wrongfully held overseas fell in 2022 for the first time in 10 years, report finds
CBSN
Washington — The number of U.S. nationals wrongfully detained overseas decreased for the first time in a decade, according to a new report, as the plight of Americans unjustly imprisoned abroad has garnered national attention with a series of high-profile prisoner swaps.
The release of 21 U.S. nationals last year was "the largest number of publicly known wrongful detention releases in one year," according to the report released Wednesday by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which advocates for the freedom of Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad. The foundation has tracked cases dating to 2001.
The decline comes as more Americans in recent years have been detained by foreign governments on what the U.S. says are politicized or unsubstantiated charges, prompting President Biden to declare it a national emergency.
On the eve of the D-Day invasion, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower spent the remaining hours of daylight with the paratroopers who were about to jump behind German lines into occupied France. A single moment captured by an Army photographer became the most enduring image of America's greatest military operation.
This story previously aired on March 6, 2016. Child Advocate: Do you know why you are here today? 911 operator: 911. What is your emergency? 911 operator: Is there anybody else in the house with you? Robin Doan [to 911]: I so hope my mom is not dead. Robin Doan [to 911]: Please can you just send somebody out here? Robin Doan [to 911]: I'm cold. I'm very cold. Robin Doan [to 911]: I heard my mama scream ... Robin Doan [to 911]: I want my mom. I want my mom. Robin Doan [to 911]: It's on Highway 70. It's about 13.3 miles out from the bowling alley. I have a purple shirt on I have purple pants on. Robin Doan [to 911]: All I want right now is my blanket and my pillow. ... I see him. I see him. Robin Doan [advocate interview]: I really don't want to go to sleep anymore. It makes me to where I'm too scared. I really don't want to go to sleep. OK. Robin Doan [advocate interview]: He had shot in my room and missed me. Advocate: Did you hear anybody say anything. Could you hear anybody talking? Robin Doan [advocate interview]: I don't know this for sure but I thought I saw a white eyes ... a white face. Robin Doan [advocate interview]: And when he shot I saw a flash. Robin Doan [advocate interview]: I can't talk about it. It's too heartbreaking. Levi King interrogation: Before I even realized it, I mean, I'd just pointed it at him and fired.