Austin Tice's mother joins Syrian community in prayer for peace at DC embassy
Austin Tice’s mom joins Syrians at DC Embassy, 12 years after son's capture
Outside the shuttered Syrian Embassy on Wyoming Avenue in Northwest, people from D.C.’s Syrian community expressed hope for the future alongside Debra Tice, the mother of Austin Tice — a journalist who’s been detained for 12 years. FOX 5's David Kaplan has the story.
WASHINGTON - A crowd gathered Monday outside the shuttered Syrian Embassy on Wyoming Avenue in Northwest D.C.
People from D.C.’s Syrian community expressed hope for the future alongside Debra Tice, the mother of Austin Tice — a journalist who’s been detained for 12 years.
Weeds and overgrown grass are a sign that this embassy was closed 10 years ago.
There was some chatter that the Syrian Opposition would formally raise its flag here now that Bashar Al Assad is out of power, but that event was postponed.
Even still, about two dozen people gathered to share stories, sing songs, and express hope for a peaceful Syrian future.
"I live nearby, and I would walk here every now and then, and I’d look at this building, and I’d think maybe one day this could actually be a beacon of hope for Syrians here. And hopefully, that day is coming," said Ameer Alsamman.
Joining in Monday’s gathering: Debra Tice. Her son, 43-year-old Austin Tice, has still not been found eight days after Assad was overthrown.
She came here to support those gathering, but also to hear their stories.
The reality for many Syrians abroad is they have a loved one or someone they know being detained as well.
Debra Tice says there are many prisons in Syria that are still being emptied, and she is praying she’ll soon be reunited with her son, who the U.S. Government believes is still alive.
"I have always had hope. I’ve never had even a millisecond of hopelessness. Right now, I’m more at hope and anticipation, which feels pretty good," Tice said, "I have known other hostage families, and they have had an inkling or something that said this isn’t going to end well. And I’ve never had any shadow of that at all. And the God that I believe in is not a trickster, and I think if I needed to be prepared, the lord would have prepared my heart, and I haven’t been prepared for that."
Tice has advocated for the embassy to reopen, and for more to be done to bring her son home.
There’s no word on if or when the embassy will reopen.
On Monday, a State Department spokesperson said the decision to reopen lies with the Syrian delegation to the United Nations, adding that the U.S. government has not yet resumed formal diplomatic relations with Syria.
American journalist Austin Tice held captive in Syria for 12 years
Austin Tice disappeared 12 years ago while on a reporting trip in Syria. It was later discovered that Tice was kidnapped. He is believed to be the only American journalist held captive abroad. Does the ousting of Assad in Syria bode well for Tice’s release? Bill McCarren the president of the Press Freedom Center — a new organization focused on journalists held captive abroad — discusses the efforts to bring Tice home.