Vigil for Return of Kidnapped Georgetown 2L Regains Momentum
The FBI has offered a $1 million reward for information about Austin Tice's whereabouts, and the Georgetown Law community is renewing efforts to raise awareness about his kidnapping six years ago.
August 16, 2018 at 01:37 PM
4 minute read
Georgetown University Law Center is again rallying behind second-year law student Austin Tice, who was kidnapped six years ago while working as a freelance journalist in Syria.
Law dean William Treanor and University president John DeGioia appeared at a National Press Club reception this week in Washington for an exhibit of photos Tice took of Syrian children before he disappeared.
Georgetown law professor Angela Campbell plans to take incoming first-year students to the Washington's Newseum, which includes Tice's shoes, notebook and personal items among its exhibits. That visit will be part of orientation later this month.
The exhibit of Tice's Syria photos, which was displayed at Georgetown earlier this year, is among the ongoing efforts of Tice's parents to raise awareness of his plight and push authorities to continue to work for the aspiring lawyer's safe return.
Debra and Mark Tice also appeared on the Today Show on Tuesday to discuss their son and the work they and the government are doing to secure his release. Though they could not divulge details, the couple said they have reason to believe their son is alive.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State on Tuesday confirmed during a press conference that authorities are still working on his release.
“We believe him to be alive,” said department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. “We remain deeply concerned about his wellbeing and we're actively working to bring Austin Tice home.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation in April announced a $1 million reward for information leading to his whereabouts and safe return.
The Tices said on the Today Show that they have met with President Donald Trump to discuss their son, and are confident that the government in working hard to find him.
“For us, this administration is really gung-ho, so to speak,” Debra Tice told Today's Savannah Guthrie. “They have such a commitment. We've seen them bring so many people home already. We know that our president is really committed that Americans will not be held against their will.”
The New York Times reported last year that the CIA had opened a back channel with the Syrian government in an attempt to free Tice, but that a U.S.-launched missile strike in response to a nerve gas attack by Syrian forces derailed those talks.
Tice graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 2002 and enrolled in the law school there in 2004, but left after one semester. He joined the Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq several times. He returned to the law school in 2008, only to redeploy as a reservist to Afghanistan. Tice came back to Georgetown Law in the spring of 2012 to complete his second year, then headed to Syria that summer, where for several months he chronicled the efforts of Syrian rebels and the plight of civilians caught in the crossfire of the country's bloody civil war.
His parents believe he was en route to leave the country when he was kidnapped in Damascus. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and no one has asked for a ransom for his release. The only evidence of his captivity is a 46-second-long video posted to YouTube that September, which shows him blindfolded.
“We know he is alive and we're sure he wants to come home,” said Mark Tice on the Today show.
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