US President Donald Trump announced on Friday a new executive order creating a blacklist of countries accused of unjustly detaining American citizens, with penalties ranging from sanctions to travel bans.
The order introduces a new designation, “state sponsors of wrongful detention,” similar to the long-standing list of state sponsors of terrorism. Countries on the list could face U.S. export restrictions, sanctions, and entry bans for officials involved in such detentions. In addition, the State Department may restrict U.S. citizens from traveling to these nations.
While no countries were immediately named, a senior official said China, Iran, and Afghanistan were under review for what Washington calls “hostage diplomacy.” Currently, North Korea is the only country where U.S. citizens are strictly barred from visiting, a policy enacted after the detention and death of American student Otto Warmbier.
The Trump administration highlighted its record of securing the release of 72 Americans detained abroad. Officials said the new order will speed up U.S. responses and allow flexibility to remove countries once they comply.
In exchange for the United States easing its caution against Americans visiting the Asian power, which had negatively impacted the economic climate, China freed all Americans deemed to have been illegally jailed under the previous President Joe Biden.
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