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Parents of US Reporter Missing for 7 Years in Syria Still Await His Return

Nisan Ahmado

   WASHINGTON - The parents of an American journalist who has been missing
   in Syria for the past seven years told VOA in an interview that they
   are convinced he is still alive and that the U.S. government should do
   what it can to reveal his whereabouts and ensure his safe return home.

   The 38-year-old journalist, Austin Tice, went to Syria in May 2012 to
   cover the war as it was entering its second year. He was arrested three
   months later in August at a checkpoint in Darayya suburb, south of the
   capital Damascus, and has been missing since.

   "In the event that Austin sees this interview, [we want him to know]
   that his mother and father love him very much and his siblings can't
   wait to see him again," Tice's father, Marc Tice, told VOA. "We know he
   is strong and we know he will hang in there, and we can't wait to hold
   him in our arms."

   Marc Tice said he and his wife, Debra Tice, believe their son is
   apprehended in Syria, most likely in areas currently under the Syrian
   government control. The couple have been trying relentlessly for years
   to secure the release of their son, albeit with no success.

   "It doesn't really matter who is holding him, the thing that really
   matters is who has the authority to secure his safe relief," said his
   mother, Debra. "We know he is still alive; he is somewhere in Syria,
   most likely in Damascus or its whereabouts. He is staying alive because
   he wants to walk free."

   The parents have visited Lebanon several times hoping to get into Syria
   to appeal directly to the Syrian government. They were never granted a
   visa to enter the war-torn country.

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