Family of Atlanta man held by Taliban pushes federal government to negotiate his release

“He entered Afghanistan legally. He’s very curious about old buildings and artifacts and cultural things, and he was just going to explore for a few days and then he was going to leave and go home,” said Fitzpatrick, who previously worked on international hostage cases in the US Department of Justice.

“It’s been 18 months now. It’s time for him to come home, and it’s time for the Taliban to let him go,” Fitzpatrick said.

The problems of Glezmann and other detained Americans were top of mind for congressional lawmakers Thursday, as a U.S. House of Representatives panel held a hearing on the plight of Americans detained overseas.

U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, used the hearing to demand a more urgent response from State Department officials to the detention of Tigran Gambaryan, a former Internal Revenue Service investigator and now executive at Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.

Gambaryan traveled to Nigeria for a meeting with government officials on financial compliance issues in that country. Instead of a two-day business trip, he was arrested and thrown in jail.

“He’s an American citizen,” said McCormick, who expressed frustration with what he sees as an indifferent response from the State Department. “This guy deserves better.”

In the presence of families of some missing Americans, lawmakers engaged in a wide-ranging debate with State Department officials, with some questioning the Biden administration’s recent prisoner swaps.

“The decisions are difficult,” said Roger Carstens, the president’s special envoy for hostage affairs.

Glezmann’s family is pushing for action, partly out of concern for his health. He has a benign tumor on his face that could start to affect his vision, Fitzpatrick said.

His wife receives phone calls from Glezmann about once a month, but she has no contact with his captors. She declined media interviews.

Glezmann’s family remains perplexed as to the reasons for his detention. He is a Delta Air Lines mechanic and generally stays out of politics.

“He’s not a political person,” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s a good citizen. He had no nefarious intentions. It was really just curiosity and a lifelong passion for visiting different cultures.

Fitzpatrick said the administration was attentive to Glezmann’s case. U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, as well as other members of Georgia’s congressional delegation, also participated in this effort.

“They are definitely listening and concerned,” he said.

Fitzpatrick said the United States needs a “willing partner on the other side” to engage in a negotiation, but he argues for greater urgency.

“We want the United States to consider all options proposed in the negotiations to secure George’s release,” he said. said. “A lot of this is driven by his health, and that should motivate the U.S. government, including the White House.”

Over the past decade, the federal government has improved its response to U.S. citizens detained abroad.

Otto Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, entered North Korea as part of a tour group and was later arrested as he prepared to leave the airport. Authorities claimed he stole a propaganda poster from his hotel and imprisoned him. He died in 2017, days after returning home to his family.

Brittney Griner, an American basketball player, was arrested in Russia in 2022 while carrying less than a gram of medically prescribed cannabis oil, which is illegal in Russia. The State Department determined she had been wrongly detained and traded an arms dealer for her release after 10 months in captivity.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia on espionage charges in 2023. Russian officials announced Thursday they were moving forward with his case. A spokesperson for President Joe Biden told reporters in December that Gershkovich’s release was a priority.

So far, 47 Americans have been released under the Biden administration, which has been more open to making deals to secure their freedom. These agreements have raised concerns about the risk of further hostage-taking – but so far this has not happened.

“My numbers are actually going down,” said Carstens, who admitted he was surprised by the result.

“To some extent it’s still unpleasant,” Carstens added. “But in reality, the alternative is that Americans don’t come home.”