Intelligence files confirm US journalist was jailed by Assad regime

Intelligence files have confirmed that the missing US journalist Austin Tice was jailed by the regime of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, the BBC reported on June 2nd.

Ex-officials of Syria also confirmed Tice’s imprisonment to the BBC. Previously, the American government said that it believed Tice had been under the detention of the Assad regime, but the regime denied the accusation. But US officials asserted that the scene “may have been staged.”

Tice disappeared near Damascus during August 2012, only days after he turned 31. Roughly seven weeks later, a video was seen online showing armed men who blindfolded Tice and forced him to recite an Islamic declaration.

Intelligence records are the first proof that the Syrian regime detained Tice since the search to locate him began. The records titled “Austin Tice,” contained messages from separate Syrian intelligence agencies. The BBC and police confirmed the records’ legitimacy.

A communication labelled “top secret” reveals authorities detained him at a facility in Damascus in 2012. The report indicates Tice experienced stomach issues while under National Defence Forces (NDF) custody, according to Arab News on June 2nd. A doctor attended to him on at least two occasions, including treatment for a viral illness.

A former NDF fighter, which according to the BBC had “intimate knowledge” of Austin’s detention, said the regime viewed Tice as a “card” for talks with the US.

Tice tried to escape through a window but authorities swiftly apprehended him. The BBC reported that he underwent interrogation on at least two occasions.

These newly discovered records appear to constitute the first conclusive evidence directly linking the Assad regime to Tice’s detention. This finding undermines more than a decade of denials by the Syrian authorities.

These revelations have paved the way for recent arrests tied to longstanding allegations of regime-led atrocities.

The New Arab reported on February 17th, that Syrian security forces arrested three officers from the Assad regime. Authorities accused them of carrying out the April 2013 Tadamon massacre.

In April of 2013, members of the National Defense Forces (NDF) killed about 288 people. Syrian researchers identified the event, commonly referred to as the “Tadamon massacre” only in 2022.

Arab News, BBC, The New Arab