U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Wednesday to free U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped nine years ago while reporting in Damascus on the uprising against Assad. “We believe that it is within Bashar al-Assad’s power to free Austin. We will continue to pursue all avenues to bring Austin home,” Blinken said in a statement released on Tice’s 40th birthday.
Source:https://www.voanews.com/press-freedom/us-calls-syria-free-us-journalist-austin-tice
