Six Nations Where U.S. Says Its Citizens Most Likely to Be Wrongfully Held

President Joe Biden's administration has released a new indicator detailing the heightened risk of wrongful detainment faced by U.S. citizens traveling around the world, with six countries in particular identified as posing the most serious threat.

In a press call prior to the unveiling on Tuesday of the system, alongside an executive order designed to bolster the United States' hostage prevention and recovery measures, three senior administration officials discussed the method and motivation of the latest measures, which supplement the State Department's existing travel advisory system.

One of the officials in the call revealed the first six countries to receive the new designation: China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.

The new list is known as the "D" indicator. It joins existing letter-named ranking regimes, including the "K" indicator, used for the assessed risk of kidnapping by non-state actors; the "T" indicator for terrorism; "C" indicator for criminal activity; "U" indicator for civil unrest; "N" indicator for natural disasters; "H" indicator for health risks; "E" indicator for temporary or "time-limited" events; and "O" indicator for other issues not otherwise specified.

"There are a lot of factors in determining which indicators to incorporate into the travel advisory for each country," the official said. "The D indicator may be assigned to a given country following the department's determination of the detention of a U.S. national as wrongful."

"The indicator will consider the number of cases of wrongful detentions of U.S. nationals in any given country and help determine the appropriate travel advisory level," the official added. "We routinely update our travel advisories for all countries based on that ongoing comprehensive review of all available safety information and ongoing developments."

With the exception of China, the nations receiving the "D indicator" have already been branded as being the most dangerous for U.S. citizens, receiving the "Level 4: Do Not Travel" classification, where they were joined by Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Haiti, Hong Kong, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tonga, Ukraine and Yemen.

China remained in the class of "Level 3: Reconsider Travel," alongside 40 other nations and territories.

The senior administration official described the "D" indicator as "a way of increasing transparency for the U.S. public traveling."

"We have for a long time highlighted the risks of wrongful detention in certain countries," the official said, "but by flagging it in this very clear way, we're hopeful that there will be fewer cases of U.S. travelers choosing to go to certain countries where this risk is greater in numbers."

The move came as the Biden administration faced criticism that it is not doing enough to attempt to secure the release of U.S. nationals being held abroad. Among the most recent examples is the case of Brittany Griner, a professional basketball player who was arrested in Russia and charged with carrying vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil in her luggage in February.

The two-time Olympic medalist and WNBA champion pled guilty earlier this month, but her trial has continued as her legal team attempted to prove she had no criminal intent in possessing the banned substance.

A second senior Biden administration official said Tuesday's developments, especially the new executive order, could ultimately have an impact on cases like Griner's.

"With respect to the executive order, there are a number of ways in which it would affect cases like that, cases in the wrongful detainee categories," the second official said. "The executive order directs those across the Executive Branch to share consistent, accurate information with the families of those who have been wrongfully detained to ensure that they receive support and assistance throughout the ordeal, and to work with parts of our government to try to impose costs on those responsible."

This official said it was hoped that these costs would "generate over time a deterrent from others becoming part of that practice as well, whether that's a broad leadership level or whether that's particular individuals who realize there can be very personalized repercussions for engaging in this sort of activity."

Once the announcement was made public, the White House released a fact sheet detailing the "D" indicator and the actions taken by the new executive order, which builds on the 2020 Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. The act was named after the missing former DEA and FBI agent who disappeared in 2007 while reportedly on a CIA mission in Iran, where his family has said he later died in Iranian custody based on information conveyed to them by U.S. officials.

"This E.O. is informed by our regular communications with the families and other stakeholders who have undertaken incredible advocacy efforts on behalf of their loved ones," the White House fact sheet said.

"The Biden-Harris Administration appreciates the continued diligence of such families and considers them essential partners in our efforts to bring Americans home," it added. "President Biden and experts across the Administration will draw on this E.O. to advance our efforts and remain committed to reuniting Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained with their families."

The James Foley Foundation, named after the freelance journalist who was captured and killed by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in Syria, has recorded 64 cases of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents considered to be held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad in 20 countries.

In addition to the six countries now on the "D" indicator list, other nations featured by the James Foley Foundation include Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cuba, Egypt, Mali, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. These countries have varying degrees of State Department indicators and travel advisory levels in place.

Some countries, including those to which the U.S. has cautioned against traveling, have issued warnings to their own citizens on the threat of being detained by the U.S.

Since at least 2015, the Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that U.S. authorities were "hunting" for Russian citizens to be detained and has issued several advisories for Russian citizens seeking to travel there. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also considered the U.S. to be a level-4 threat meaning "travel to this country is not recommended."

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Ministry of Education have also issued past warnings against Chinese citizens traveling to the U.S., alleging arbitrary visa restrictions, detention and criminal activity, including gun violence. The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry has also cited violent crime as a reason to reconsider travel to the U.S.

This is a developing news story. More information will be added as it becomes available,