[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4800-4801]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                TIK ROOT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to say a few words 
about a situation in Syria that is of particular concern to me and 
people of my State.
  Going on 2 weeks ago, a young Middlebury College student, Pathik 
``Tik'' Root, disappeared in Damascus, Syria, where he was studying 
Arabic.
  As anyone who is following recent events in Syria knows, there have 
been large public demonstrations, some of which have resulted in 
arrests and casualties.
  Thanks to the efforts of U.S. Embassy Damascus and the Syrian 
Ambassador to the United States, Imad Moustapha, it was determined that 
Tik had been arrested and is being held in a Syrian jail.
  By all accounts, it appears that Tik was arrested simply because he 
was taking photographs at one of the demonstrations.
  As an avid photographer myself, I would hope that the Syrian 
Government recognizes the innocent conduct of a young, curious American 
student who is fascinated, as we all are, by the extraordinary events 
taking place across North Africa and the Middle East.
  I and my staff have had multiple conversations with Tik's father, 
with Ambassador Moustapha, with U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford, and other 
State Department officials about Tik's situation.
  We are optimistic that he will be released, because he was doing 
nothing wrong and at most he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[[Page 4801]]

  But so far, no one from the American consulate in Damascus has been 
allowed to see Tik, which is unacceptable. Our representatives in 
Damascus should be given immediate access to him--today--to ensure that 
he is in good health and being treated humanely.
  I know I speak not only for myself but also for Senator Bernie 
Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch, in urging the Syrian authorities 
to release Tik and allow him to return home.
  This is not a time to be confusing a young American college student 
with the popular forces that are calling for political change in Syria.
  Tik is an innocent 21-year-old who poses no threat whatsoever to the 
Syrian Government, but his continued detention will only further 
complicate our already difficult relations with Syria.

                          ____________________