President Joe Biden signed an executive order on July 19 that aims to deter countries from wrongfully detaining and punishing U.S. citizens abroad.
A U.S. official said on a conference call with reporters that the measure will allow U.S. government agencies to impose sanctions and other measures against those who "wrongfully detain" Americans.
The move comes against the backdrop of the arrest of several U.S. citizens in Russia, including basketball star Brittney Griner, who has been detained there since authorities said they found cannabis oil in vape cartridges in her luggage when she passed through Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in February.
Another U.S. citizen, former Marine Paul Whelan, was detained in December 2018 and accused of espionage. He has vehemently denied the charges but was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020.
Biden is "committed to getting all these cases resolved and," the U.S. official said.
At the same time Washington wants to create a deterrence strategy that raises consequences of hostage-taking to include financial and travel sanctions.
The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, says 64 Americans are currently wrongfully detained or being held hostage.
The foundation was set up in the name of James Foley, the American journalist who was abducted and killed in Syria in 2014.
The order comes after former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed was involved in a prisoner swap with Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot who had been jailed on drug trafficking charges in the United States.
