[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 13, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 18339-18340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05441]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 89 , No. 50 / Wednesday, March 13, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 18339]]

                Proclamation 10709 of March 8, 2024

                
U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Today--and every day--the United States reaffirms our 
                sacred pledge to American hostages and detainees 
                wrongfully held abroad: We see you. We stand with you. 
                We will not stop working until you are home and 
                reunited with your family.

                This has been a priority for my Administration since 
                day one--and we have made important progress. Over the 
                last 3 years, we have brought home more than 60 
                Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained 
                around the world, including from Afghanistan, Burma, 
                Gaza, Haiti, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Venezuela, West 
                Africa, and more. But we have much more work to do. Too 
                many Americans remain illegally and wrongfully 
                detained, fearing for their lives and not knowing what 
                tomorrow will bring. Too many families remain ripped 
                apart, living in agony and uncertainty every day their 
                loved one remains wrongfully held abroad. No family--
                and no American--should have to endure this suffering 
                and separation.

                That is why my Administration has taken unprecedented 
                action to secure the release of all Americans held 
                hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. In 2022, I 
                signed an Executive Order to strengthen our efforts to 
                address the scourge of hostage-taking and wrongful 
                detention, including issuing more severe consequences 
                for actors that illegally detain American citizens and 
                attempt to use human beings as bargaining chips. Last 
                year, we issued the first-ever sanctions against 
                actors--including in Russia and Iran--for engaging in 
                this abhorrent practice. My Administration has also 
                focused on preventing these cases from occurring in the 
                first place. We have joined 74 nations around the world 
                and the European Union in endorsing the Declaration 
                Against Arbitrary Detention. Finally, we have focused 
                on providing families with loved ones held hostage or 
                wrongfully detained abroad with the resources and 
                support services they deserve.

                Here at home, the Department of State launched a risk 
                indictor that warns travelers if there is a high threat 
                of wrongful detention at their destination. For more 
                information on travel advisories, go to 
                travel.state.gov.

                As President, I have no higher duty than ensuring the 
                safety and security of my fellow Americans--including 
                all those who remain held hostage or wrongfully 
                detained abroad. I will continue to work to bring them 
                home. I will continue to leverage every resource to 
                punish and deter actors who engage in this despicable 
                and unacceptable practice. I will not stop these 
                efforts until every American is accounted for and 
                safely back home. Today--and every day--that is my 
                pledge.

                The Congress, by Public Law 118-31 approved December 
                22, 2023, has designated March 9 of each year as ``U.S. 
                Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 
                9, 2024, as U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day. On 
                this day, as we fly the Hostage and Wrongful Detainee 
                flag at the White House, I call upon the people of the 
                United States to observe this day with relevant 
                programs, ceremonies, and activities.

[[Page 18340]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-05441
Filed 3-12-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P