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Debra Tice made the remarks at a news conference in Damascus in
her first visit to the country since insurgents toppled
President Bashar Assad last month. She did not present any new
findings in the ongoing search.
Austin Tice disappeared near the Syrian capital in 2012, and has
not been heard from since other than a video released weeks
later that showed him blindfolded and held by armed men. Tens of
thousands are believed to have gone missing in Syria since 2011,
when countrywide protests against Assad spiraled into a
devastating civil war.
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters at the White
House in December that he believes Washington can bring Tice
back, while admitting that “we have no direct evidence” of his
well-being.
“I have great hope that the Trump administration will sincerely
engage in diligent work to bring Austin home.” Tice said. “His
people have already reached out to me. I haven’t experienced
that for the last four years.”
Syria's former government had publicly denied that it was
holding him, but Tice hopes she will find him with the help of
the new leadership. In December, she said the family had
information from an unidentified source that her son was alive
and well. She said Monday she still believes he is alive and in
good health.
“Austin, if you can somehow hear this, I love you. I know you’re
not giving up, and neither am I,” she said.
Tice said she had a productive meeting with Ahmad al-Sharaa, the
leader of Syria’s new administration, who she said was
“dedicated and determined” to bring back Austin and the others
missing in the country.
She also visited two military intelligence prisons in Syria,
known for their mass incarceration and systematic use of
torture, which she described as an “unbelievably, horrible
nightmare.”
Tice, who is from Houston, has had his work published by The
Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and other outlets.
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Chehayeb reported from Beirut.
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