POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACY
61 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 months ago - ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsWe work to free hostages and the unjustly detained worldwide. Together with their families, we share their stories and let you know how you can help. Host, Daren Nair has been campaigning with many of these families for years and will introduce you to some of the most courageous and resilient people among us, people who have never given up hope, people who will never stop working to reunite their families.
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Episodes
SITREP Pod 4: Free Robert Pether, Australian held in Iraq | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
May 03, 2023 05:00 - 30 minutes - 21.3 MBLast month marked two years since Robert Pether, an Australian citizen and Irish resident, has been wrongfully imprisoned in Iraq. He is a father, a husband and an engineer. Robert and his colleague, Khalid Radwan were both detained in Baghdad on 7 April 2021 after they went to Iraq to resolve a business dispute between the Iraqi government and their Dubai-based employer, CME Consulting. CME Consulting which is an engineering firm was working on the new headquarters for the Central Bank of ...
Free Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, Americans held in Russia | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
April 19, 2023 05:00 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBAmerican Marine veteran, Paul Whelan and American journalist, Evan Gershkovich are both wrongfully imprisoned in Russia. The United States government has classified both men as “wrongfully detained” and has called for their immediate release. Both Paul and Evan are victims of Russia’s hostage diplomacy. We explain what hostage diplomacy is, the different types of hostage-takers, creation of the U.S. hostage enterprise, Presidential Policy Directive 30, the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery ...
SITREP Pod: Free Shahab Dalili, American hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
March 29, 2023 05:00 - 23 minutes - 16.1 MBShahab Dalili is a United States lawful permanent resident from Virginia. His wife and children are all U.S. citizens. In April 2016, Shahab went to Tehran to attend his father’s funeral. He was then arrested and has been wrongfully imprisoned in Iran to this day. According to recent news reports, there have been discussions of a potential prisoner exchange between the United States and Iran. The U.S. government has stated that no deal has been agreed. Shahab’s family are very worried that ...
Free Cecile Kohler, French hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
March 15, 2023 06:00 - 40 minutes - 28 MBCecile Kohler is a French teacher and a unionist. She has always dreamed of visiting Iran. Last year, both Cecile and her partner, Jacques Paris visited Iran as tourists during the French school holidays and were arrested on their way to the airport by Iranian authorities. They have both been wrongfully imprisoned in Iran since 7 May 2022. The French government has referred to them as state hostages. In October 2022, both Cecile and Jacques were made to deliver forced “confessions” which we...
SITREP Pod 2: Free Nahid Taghavi, German hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
March 01, 2023 06:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MB68-year-old German citizen, Nahid Taghavi has been held hostage in Iran since 16 October 2020. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and Amnesty International have both stated that her detention is arbitrary and have called for her immediate release. Members of the German Bundestag from multiple parties have also stated that Nahid is unjustly detained and have called for her release too. Many things have happened in Iran in the last year. On this episode, we have the hono...
SITREP Pod: Free Benjamin Briere, French hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
February 15, 2023 06:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBToday is day 19 of French citizen, Benjamin Briere’s hunger strike. He has been wrongfully imprisoned in Iran since May 2020. He is one of seven French citizens currently held in Iran. The French government has referred to them as state hostages. Iran is notorious for arresting innocent foreign nationals on false charges and putting them in prison for years for the purpose of extracting concessions from their home country. This abhorrent practice is state-sponsored hostage taking also known...
SITREP Pod: Free Jamshid Sharmahd, German citizen and US resident held hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
February 01, 2023 07:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MBIn July 2020, Jamshid Sharmahd was kidnapped in Dubai by agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and taken to Iran where he is being held today. Jamshid is a German citizen and US resident who has lived in California for over 17 years. His life is in imminent danger as he may be sentenced to death and executed any day now. On this episode, we have the honour of speaking to Gazelle Sharmahd, Jamshid’s daughter once again. She brings us up to speed with what has happened since we last spok...
SITREP Pod 2: Free Kai Li, American held in China | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
January 18, 2023 06:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MBAmerican citizen, Kai Li from New York has been wrongfully imprisoned in China since September 2016. The U.S. government has classified Kai as being “wrongfully detained” and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for Kai’s immediate release. A few days ago, Kai’s father passed away in China as a result of the surge in COVID19 cases in the country. Chinese authorities have also imposed restrictions within its prisons due to the pandemic that have significantly a...
Peter Humphrey, British fraud investigator and ex-journalist previously held in China | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
January 04, 2023 06:00 - 3 hours - 146 MBBritish citizen, Peter Humphrey used to be a fraud investigator and a journalist based in China. Peter and his wife who is an American citizen co-founded the company, ChinaWhys which was a risk-advisory firm based in Shanghai. In July 2013, both Peter and his wife were arrested by Chinese authorities. Their teenage son and only child was separated from both his parents. China is notorious for carrying out wrongful detentions especially when it comes to foreign nationals. Both Peter and hi...
Brittney is free, Paul was left behind - again | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
December 21, 2022 06:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBOn 8th December 2022, American citizen and WNBA athlete Brittney Griner was freed in a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. Unfortunately, American citizen and Marine veteran Paul Whelan also held in Russia was left behind – again. The U.S. State Department classified both Brittney and Paul as “wrongfully detained”. Next week will mark four years since Paul was arrested and wrongfully imprisoned in Russia. On this episode, we speak again to Paul’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan to ...
Free Jerrel Kenemore, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
December 07, 2022 06:00 - 55 minutes - 38.1 MBJerrel Kenemore, an American citizen from Dallas, Texas has been imprisoned in Venezuela since March this year. The U.S. State Department has classified him as “wrongfully detained”. Venezuela is notorious for taking innocent Americans captive on false charges and using them as leverage to extract concessions from the United States. This is state-sponsored hostage taking also known as hostage diplomacy. On this episode, we have the honour of speaking to Jerrel’s sister, Jeana Kenemore Tille...
SITREP Pod 3: Free Robert Pether, Australian held in Iraq | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
November 23, 2022 06:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBAustralian engineer and Irish resident, Robert Pether has been wrongfully imprisoned in Iraq since 7 April 2021 as a result of a commercial dispute between the Iraqi government and his Dubai-based employer, CME Consulting. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has stated that his detention is arbitrary and has called for his immediate release. We have interviewed Robert’s family three times on this podcast and we speak once again to Desree Pether, Robert’s wife. Since our...
Free Eyvin Hernandez, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
November 09, 2022 06:00 - 36 minutes - 25.3 MBLast month on 1st October, seven innocent Americans who were wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela were released in a prisoner swap between the US and Venezuela. Eyvin Hernandez, an innocent American citizen who works for the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office was left behind. He has been held in Venezuela since March this year. The US government has classified Eyvin as wrongfully detained. On this episode, we have the honour of speaking to Eyvin’s brother, Henry Martinez. Henry walk...
Jose Pereira, American previously held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
October 26, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 62.2 MBEarlier this month on 1st October, Jose Pereira and six other innocent Americans who were wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela for years were freed in a prisoner swap between the United States and Venezuela. Jose lives in Houston, Texas and was acting President and CEO for US oil company, CITGO Petroleum. In November 2017 shortly before Thanksgiving, Jose was instructed to travel to Venezuela with a few of his senior management colleagues to attend a business meeting in Caracas. During that me...
Aya Hijazi, American citizen and humanitarian previously held in Egypt | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
October 12, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 60.9 MBAya Hijazi is an American citizen and a humanitarian. She is the founder and Director of the Belady Foundation that worked to help children in Egypt who lived on the streets. In May 2014 when the crackdown on civil society in Egypt was gathering pace, Egyptian police raided the Belady Foundation’s offices and arrested Aya, her husband and her colleagues. They were wrongfully imprisoned in Egypt for almost 3 years. Human Rights Watch called their wrongful imprisonment a travesty of justice. ...
Free Benjamin Briere, French hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
September 28, 2022 05:00 - 28 minutes - 19.9 MBFrench citizen and tourist, Benjamin Briere has been held hostage in Iran since May 2020. He has been sentenced to eight years in prison for a crime he did not commit. On the day of his sentencing, the French Foreign Ministry stated that Benjamin’s “completely groundless sentence is unacceptable.” He is one of four known French citizens currently held hostage in Iran. On this episode, we have the honour of speaking to Benjamin’s sister, Blandine Briere to find out what we can do to help br...
Free Shahab Dalili, American hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
September 14, 2022 05:00 - 32 minutes - 22.4 MBShahab Dalili is a US permanent resident from Virginia. His wife and children are all US citizens. In April 2016, Shahab went to Tehran to attend his father’s funeral. He was then arrested and has been wrongfully imprisoned in Iran to this day. Shahab is not the only American currently held hostage in Iran. The Iranians are also holding captive: Siamak and Baquer Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz. On this episode, we have the honour of speaking to Shahab’s son, Darian Dalili. Darian walk...
SITREP Pod 2: Free Robert Pether, Australian held in Iraq | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
August 31, 2022 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.7 MBAustralian citizen and Irish resident, Robert Pether has been wrongfully imprisoned in Iraq since 7 April 2021. He and his colleague, Khalid Radwan were both detained in Baghdad after they went to Iraq to resolve a business dispute between the Iraqi government and their Dubai-based employer, CME Consulting. CME Consulting which is an engineering firm was working on the new headquarters for the Central Bank of Iraq. The project was hit by delays and increased costs due to the COVID pandemic...
SITREP Pod 2: Free Paul Whelan, American held in Russia | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
August 17, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 48.6 MBThe United States government has put forward an offer to the Russian authorities to secure the release of two wrongfully detained Americans in the country – Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner. Paul Whelan is a former US Marine and Brittney Griner is a WNBA superstar athlete. On this episode, we speak again to Paul’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan. Elizabeth talks to us about her recent call with President Biden, the US proposal to Russia to secure Paul and Brittney’s release, the Russian government ...
Free Jose Pereira, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
August 03, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 52.9 MBUS permanent resident, Jose Pereira from Texas was former acting President and CEO of CITGO Petroleum. In November 2017 shortly before Thanksgiving, Jose was arrested in Caracas while he was there for a business meeting with five of his other American colleagues. Collectively, they’re known as the CITGO 6. The US government has stated they are unlawfully detained and called for their immediate release. On this episode, we have the honour of speaking to Jose’s son, John Pereira. John talks ...
Trevor Reed Is Home. Now It’s Time To Heal | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
May 18, 2022 05:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBThree weeks ago on 27th April, Trevor Reed was freed in a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Russia. Trevor is an American citizen and former US Marine who was wrongfully imprisoned in Russia since 16 August 2019. On this episode, we’ll hear from Trevor’s father, Joey Reed on what it was like seeing Trevor being released, how they’re doing now, what’s next for the Reed family and what should President Biden do to bring the other Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained a...
SITREP Pod: Free Robert Pether, Australian held in Iraq | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
May 11, 2022 05:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBRobert Pether and his colleague, Khalid Radwan were both detained in Baghdad on 7 April 2021 after they went to Iraq to resolve a business dispute between the Iraqi government and their Dubai-based employer, CME Consulting. CME Consulting which is an engineering firm was working on the new headquarters for the Central Bank of Iraq. The project was hit by delays and increased costs due to the COVID pandemic and a dispute arose whereby the Iraqi government demanded the return of $12 million ...
Trevor is free, Paul was left behind | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
May 04, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 49.3 MBOne week ago on Wednesday 27th April, Trevor Reed – an innocent American citizen and former US Marine who had been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia for 985 days – was freed. Trevor was released in a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Russia. Trevor is now back home in the United States getting the medical attention he needs and surrounded by his loving family – his father, Joey – his mother, Paula – and his sister, Taylor. We have interviewed Trevor’s parents twice on Pod Host...
SITREP Pod 2: Free Tomeu Vadell, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
April 27, 2022 05:00 - 40 minutes - 27.9 MBAmerican citizen Tomeu Vadell from Lake Charles, Louisiana has been wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela since November 2017. Tomeu works for US oil company, CITGO and in November 2017, Tomeu was arrested in Caracas while he was down there for a business meeting with 5 of his other colleagues. Collectively, they’re known as the CITGO 6. The US government has stated that they are unlawfully detained. In October 2019, the Vadell family submitted Tomeu’s case to the United Nations Working Group ...
SITREP Pod: Free Kai Li, American held in China | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
April 20, 2022 05:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBAmerican citizen, Kai Li from New York has been wrongfully imprisoned in China since September 2016. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for his immediate release. On the 4th of November last year, a bipartisan group of 15 members of Congress wrote a letter to President of the United States Joe Biden urging him to bring Kai Li back home to the US. We had the honour of interviewing Kai Li’s son, Harrison Li in October last year. In recent weeks, the Chinese gov...
Free Robert Pether, Australian held in Iraq | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
April 13, 2022 05:00 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBThursday 7th April 2022 marked the 1 year anniversary of Australian citizen Robert Pether’s wrongful imprisonment in Iraq. Robert Pether and his colleague, Khalid Radwan were both detained in Baghdad on 7 April 2021 after they went to Iraq to resolve a business dispute between the Iraqi government and their Dubai-based employer, CME Consulting. CME Consulting is an engineering firm that was hired by the Iraqi government to work on the new headquarters of the Central Bank of Iraq. The project...
Michael White, American, US Navy veteran and former hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
April 06, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 69.4 MBMichael White is an American citizen from Southern California. Michael served in the US Navy for 15 years and is one of 5 siblings, all of whom have served in the US Armed Forces. In 2012, Michael met his fiancé-to-be, Samaneh Abbasi on a Yahoo chatroom. He then travelled to Iran a total of three times to visit her. During Michael’s third trip to Iran in 2018, he was arrested by the Iranian authorities on false charges and wrongfully imprisoned for 683 days. In June 2020, Michael was release...
Free Jorge Toledo, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
March 30, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 46.6 MBAmerican citizen Jorge Toledo from Houston, Texas has been wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela since November 2017. He works for US oil company, CITGO and was arrested in Caracas with 5 of his colleagues while they were there for a business meeting. Collectively, they are known as the CITGO 6. The US government has called for their immediate release. On 8 March 2022, one of the CITGO 6, Gustavo Cardenas – was released. This is a positive step for the families of the 5 remaining members of t...
Nazanin is free but other hostages remain in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
March 23, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 43.1 MBDuring the early hours of Thursday morning 17th March 2022, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe arrived back home in the UK. She was freed after being held hostage in Iran for almost 6 years. She’s a British citizen and a charity worker from West Hampstead, London. She was arrested by the Iranian IRGC on 3 April 2016 when she was on holiday in Tehran visiting her elderly parents with her one year old daughter, Gabriella. Almost six years later, three members of Nazanin’s family were there to greet her...
Diane Foley, Founder and President of the James W Foley Legacy Foundation
March 16, 2022 06:00 - 57 minutes - 39.6 MBDiane Foley is the mother of five children, including American freelance conflict journalist, James W Foley. Jim was kidnapped in Syria on 22 November 2012 and he was murdered on 19 August 2014. Diane founded the James W Foley Legacy Foundation (JWFLF) in September 2014 less than a month after his public execution to ensure Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained overseas as well as their families are made a priority by the US government and given all the support they need. Diane is c...
Diane Foley, Founder and President of the James W Foley Legacy Foundation | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
March 16, 2022 06:00 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBDiane Foley is the mother of five children, including American freelance conflict journalist, James W Foley. Jim was kidnapped in Syria on 22 November 2012 and he was murdered on 19 August 2014. Diane founded the James W Foley Legacy Foundation (JWFLF) in September 2014 less than a month after his public execution to ensure Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained overseas as well as their families are made a priority by the US government and given all the support they need. Diane is c...
SITREP Pod: Free Nahid, German Hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
March 09, 2022 06:00 - 41 minutes - 28.8 MBOn 16 October 2020, 66 year old German citizen Nahid Taghavi decided to go for a walk near her apartment in Tehran. It was a week after she had surgery and Nahid had high blood pressure. Within moments, she was surrounded by 12 armed men from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also known as the IRGC. She was arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison where she remains to this day. The European Parliament has passed a resolution calling on Iran to drop all charges against Nah...
Michael Scott Moore, German-American journalist and former hostage in Somalia | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
March 02, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 50 MBIn 2012, German-American journalist Michael Scott Moore was investigating pirate kidnappings in Somalia when he himself was taken hostage by Somali pirates. Michael was taken at gunpoint, held in terrible conditions and in many different locations including at one point – on a ship. A few days into his captivity, SEAL Team 6 successfully rescued 2 aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted also held by Somali pirates but in a different location. During that rescue, 9 ...
Jonathan Franks, Crisis management consultant for American hostage families | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
February 23, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 46.7 MBJonathan Franks is a crisis management consultant for families of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained overseas. Jonathan has worked with the family of Marine veteran Andrew Tahmooressi held in Mexico as well as Marine veteran Amir Hekmati and Navy veteran Michael White both held in Iran. All these men have now been freed. Jonathan is now working with the family of American and former US Marine, Trevor Reed currently held in Russia since August 2019. On this episode, we have the ho...
SITREP Pod: Free Trevor Reed, American held in Russia | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
February 16, 2022 06:00 - 33 minutes - 23.3 MBAmerican citizen and former US Marine, Trevor Reed has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia since 16 August 2019. President of the United States Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan have all called on Russia to release Trevor immediately and allow him to return home to his family in Texas. Both the US Senate and House of Representatives have passed bipartisan resolutions calling for Trevor’s immediate release. Trevor’s parents believe th...
SITREP Pod: Free Trevor Reed, American and former US Marine held in Russia | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
February 16, 2022 06:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBAmerican citizen and former US Marine, Trevor Reed has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia since 16 August 2019. President of the United States Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan have all called on Russia to release Trevor immediately and allow him to return home to his family in Texas. Both the US Senate and House of Representatives have passed bipartisan resolutions calling for Trevor’s immediate release. Trevor’s parents believe th...
SITREP Pod: Free Tomeu Vadell, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
February 09, 2022 06:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBAmerican citizen, Tomeu Vadell from Louisiana has been wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela since November 2017. He was arrested while on a business trip in Caracas with five of his American colleagues. All six men worked for US oil company, Citgo. Collectively, they’re known as the Citgo 6. The US government has publicly stated that the Citgo 6 are unlawfully detained. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and current US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have both called for their uncond...
Free Fariba Adelkhah, French academic held in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
February 02, 2022 06:00 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MBFrench academic Fariba Adelkhah has been wrongfully imprisoned in Iran since 5 June 2019. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for Fariba’s immediate release and denounced her incarceration as “totally arbitrary”. President Macron also stated that “Fariba Adelkhah is a scientific prisoner”. Scholars At Risk have called for Fariba’s immediate release and for the protection of academic freedom in Iran and beyond. On this episode, we have the honour of speaking to Fariba’s colleague and ...
SITREP Pod: Free Paul Whelan, American and former US Marine held in Russia | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
January 26, 2022 06:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBAmerican citizen and former US Marine, Paul Whelan has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia since 28 December 2018. President of the United States Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan have all called on Russia to release Paul Whelan and let him come home to his family in Michigan. We had the honour of interviewing Paul’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan in September 2021 to find out what happened to Paul and what we can do to help. Four months l...
SITREP Pod: Free Paul Whelan, American held in Russia | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
January 26, 2022 06:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBAmerican citizen and former US Marine, Paul Whelan has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia since 28 December 2018. President of the United States Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan have all called on Russia to release Paul Whelan and let him come home to his family in Michigan. We had the honour of interviewing Paul’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan in September 2021 to find out what happened to Paul and what we can do to help. Four months l...
Free Jamshid Sharmahd, German citizen and US resident held hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
January 19, 2022 06:00 - 49 minutes - 34 MBJamshid Sharmahd is a German citizen and US resident. He and his family have lived in California for the last 17 years. In July 2020, Jamshid was kidnapped in Dubai by agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and taken to Iran where he is still being held today. The EU Parliament adopted a resolution in July 2021 urging Iran to immediately drop all charges against all arbitrarily detained EU nationals including Jamshid. Amnesty International has stated that he is being arbitrarily detained ...
Free The Zambranos, Americans held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
January 12, 2022 06:00 - 1 hour - 45.2 MBAmerican citizens and brothers from Texas, Alirio Jose Zambrano and Jose Luis Zambrano have been wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela for over 4 years now. They both work for US oil company, Citgo and were arrested in Caracas in November 2017 together with four of their American colleagues. Collectively, they are known as the Citgo 6. The US government has publicly stated that the Citgo 6 are unlawfully detained. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and current US Secretary of State Anton...
Free Kamran Ghaderi, Austrian hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
December 22, 2021 06:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBKamran Ghaderi is a husband and father from Vienna, Austria. He went to Iran on 2 January 2016 to visit family and was arrested at the airport in Tehran by agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. He has been held in Iran to this day and in a couple weeks, it’ll be 6 years since he was taken. The European Parliament has passed a resolution calling for Kamran’s release. Amnesty International has stated that Kamran is being arbitrarily detained and has also called for his immediate release....
Nick Dunn, British citizen and former British Army soldier previously held in India, Part 3 | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
December 08, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBBritish citizen, Nick Dunn is a former British Army Parachute Regiment soldier who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. After leaving Her Majesty’s Forces, he continued to work in security. In October 2013, Nick was working as an armed security guard onboard the MV Seaman Guard Ohio alongside another 5 Brits who were also former British Army. Their mission was to protect the vessel from Somali pirates. A week later, Nick, the other guards and the crew were all arrested by the Indian coast guard a...
Nick Dunn, British citizen and former British Army soldier previously held in India, Part 2 | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
December 01, 2021 06:00 - 40 minutes - 27.6 MBNick Dunn is a British citizen and a former British Army Parachute Regiment soldier. He served in Afghanistan and Iraq. After leaving Her Majesty’s Forces, he continued to work in security. Nick was working as an armed security guard onboard the MV Seaman Guard Ohio in October 2013 alongside another 5 British former Army soldiers when he and the other members of the crew and guards were arrested by the Indian coast guard. They were wrongfully imprisoned in India for 4 years. Nick and these o...
Nick Dunn, British citizen and former British Army soldier previously held in India, Part 1 | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
November 24, 2021 14:00 - 1 hour - 49 MBNick Dunn is a British citizen and a former British Army Parachute Regiment soldier. He served in Afghanistan and Iraq. After leaving Her Majesty’s Forces, he continued to work in security. In October 2013, Nick worked as an armed security guard aboard his company vessel, the MV Seaman Guard Ohio. He was one of six British former Army soldiers on the vessel. Their mission was to protect the vessel from Somali pirates. A week later, the MV Seaman Guard Ohio was brought into port in Tamil Nadu...
Free Nazanin, British Hostage in Iran – The Hunger Strike, Part 3 | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
November 17, 2021 06:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MBThis past Saturday, Richard Ratcliffe ended his hunger strike outside the UK Foreign Office after 21 days. His wife, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held hostage in Iran since 3 April 2016 and the British government has not done enough to free Nazanin and bring her back home to London. Richard had 4 demands for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. This week, we speak to Richard Ratcliffe himself to find out how he’s recovering, his thoughts on the recent debates in the Houses of Parlia...
Free Nazanin, British Hostage in Iran – The Hunger Strike, Part 2 | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
November 10, 2021 06:00 - 32 minutes - 22.2 MBRichard Ratcliffe, husband of British hostage in Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is on week 3 of his hunger strike outside the UK Foreign Office which is right next to the Prime Minister’s office. Richard’s amazing campaigning has inspired millions of good caring people from all walks of life to come together to free Nazanin. On this week’s episode, we show you the power of love, the power of hope, the power of solidarity and the power of lifting others while you climb. You’ll hear from vo...
Free Nazanin, British Hostage in Iran – The Hunger Strike, Part 1 | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
November 03, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MBFamily is everything and not many people know this better than Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British hostage in Iran – Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Today marks 11 days since Richard Ratcliffe has been on hunger strike outside the UK Foreign Office which is right next to the Prime Minister’s Office. He has 4 demands for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ultimate objective is to get the British government to free his wife so she can come back home to London after being held hostage in Iran fo...
Free Majd Kamalmaz, American Hostage in Syria | Pod Hostage Diplomacy
October 27, 2021 05:00 - 27 minutes - 18.6 MBIn February 2017, American psychotherapist and humanitarian Majd Kamalmaz visited Syria to offer condolences to an elderly family member in mourning. Less than 24 hours after his arrival in Damascus, his family in the US received word that he was missing. Majd was apparently detained at a Syrian government checkpoint. More than 4 years later, Majd’s family have not spoken to him, heard from him or seen him since he was detained. After the civil war in 2012, the United States suspended dipl...