Our Detained Loved Ones
Notice - photos and biography information on this site should not be reproduced without consent from each family.
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Shahab Dalili - Iran
Shahab Dalili, a 60-year-old husband and father of two, was taken hostage during a short family-related visit to Iran in April 2016. Shahab and his family are from Gainesville, VA. They arrived in the US and received their Legal Permanent Resident status in August 2014. His family is all naturalized US citizens now and Shahab would have been one too by now if he had not been taken hostage as a Legal Permanent Resident. We plead with Secretary Blinken and President Biden to not forget him and not leave him behind during the negotiations with Iran.
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Zack Shahin - United Arab Emirates
@zackbackhome
Zack Shahin is an American hostage in the United Arab Emirates for the last 15 years on an alleged white collar crime. On the 23rd of March 2023, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued their ruling pertaining Zack S. Shahin whereby they found he has been arbitrarily detained for 15 years, kidnapped on two counts, and subjected to numerous human rights crimes and violations including torture, hence incriminating the UAE government officials, UAE national airline carrier, as well as the Yemeni government officials. There were similar findings by the Foley Foundation and Human Rights Watch.In exchange for a few trade and defense contracts, the US State Department has/is turning a blind eye to the fact that the UAE which enjoy great bilateral ties with the US has been holding an American citizen hostage for 15 years.
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Andre Khachatoorian - Russia
Andre Khachatoorian is a 38-year-old American citizen of Armenian descent. He is an incredibly caring son, brother, and family man who got engaged to the love of his life 3 months before being captured by the Russian government at the Sheremetyevo International Airport on December 27, 2021.
Andre was transiting in Moscow for 3 hours before traveling to Armenia to spend his first holidays with his fiancée. But at the Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russian authorities questioned Andre for his small firearm, which was secured and locked in his suitcase holding all licenses and ownership documents. Andre had attempted to declare it at LAX at the luggage check-in location at Aeroflot Airlines Desk, where Aeroflot personnel informed him he could fill out the declaration form before traveling to Armenia, and would be guided to properly declare his weapon as he was not traveling to Russia.
For days, Andre attempted to call US embassy officials, seeking help from authorities with no luck. He was not allowed access to his critical medications during this time, and eventually detained for violating Russian law by traveling with a weapon inside his luggage. After twelve months of court delays, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Andre’s family is extremely worried. They struggle to provide and deliver him the proper medications for his respiratory ailments as well as basic necessities. Andre’s requests to be under specialist evaluation each month, as needed, have been denied by the judge for 19 months and counting. Andre's family is pleading with the US Government to recognize his wrongful detention and ensure his release and safe return home.
https://www.freeandre.org/ -
Ksenia Karelina
Ksenia Karelina, a 32-year-old dual US and Russian citizen resides in Los Angeles, CA. She moved with her childhood friend Kristina from Russia to the Baltimore area in 2012, where she pursued dance as a ballerina.
In 2017, Ksenia relocated to Los Angeles, working as a receptionist at the luxury Ciel Spa at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. On July 28, 2021, she obtained her US citizenship. In 2022, Ksenia graduated from esthetician school. Her boss and colleagues have been some her biggest supporters since she was arrested, and promise her old job is waiting for her.
On January 2nd 2024, 32-year-old dual US and Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina traveled to Russia to visit her 90-year-old grandmother for the first time in years. Three days before she was scheduled to return home, she was arrested. Ksenia is currently in a Russian jail, facing a possible life sentence for trumped-up treason charges. -
Robert Gilman
Robert is a Marine Corps veteran, who was traveling in Russia when he fell sick on a train. Instead of medical help, he was taken to a police station. He fell into a cycle of charges, which began with a case that was dismissed, a second that was without evidence, and a third for assault of a police officer where even the police officer says he should not be charged. A typical Russian Government tactic is getting Americans into their system, and pile on various unfounded charges to keep them there. This is Robert’s story, and they continue to put him in conditions that set him up for further charges that further politicize his case. Beyond this, the profile of the case against Robert appears eerily familiar to the Trevor Reed case, where a former Marine unexpectedly blacked out and was charged with punching a police officer, suggesting this may all have been staged.
https://www.freerobertgilman.com -
David Barnes
David was arrested on January 13, 2022, after his ex-wife, who kidnapped his sons from Texas to Russia, made allegations of abuse that had already been disproven twice by Texas officials. The Russian court ignored the fact his ex-wife’s claims had twice been investigated and found to be unsubstantiated. It also ignored the fact that Russia did not have any reasonable jurisdiction for the case. David is sentenced to 21 years hard labor.
https://www.freedavidbarnes.com
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Returned American hostages and wrongful detainees in our campaign:
Trevor Reed | Freed from Russia in April 2022 after 985 daysMark Frerichs | Freed from Afghanistan in September 2022 after 962 days
Alirio Zambrano | Freed from Venezuela in October 2022 after 1,775 days
Jose Luis Zambrano | Freed from Venezuela in October 2022 after 1,775 days
Matthew Heath | Freed from Venezuela in October 2022 after 752 days
Jorge Toledo | Freed from Venezuela in October 2022 after 1,775 days
Jose Angel Pereira | Freed from Venezuela in October 2022 after 1,775 days
Baquer Namazi | Freed from Iran in October 2022 after 2,413 days
Brittney Griner | Freed from Russia in December 2022 after 294 days
Jeffery Woodke | Freed from Niger in March 2023 after 2,348 days
Paul Rusesabagina | Freed from Rwanda in March 2023 after 935 days
Emad Shargi | Freed from Iran in September 2023 after 1,975 days
Morad Tahbaz | Freed from Iran in September 2023 after 2,078 days
Siamak Namazi | Freed from Iran in September 2023 after 2,898 days
Luke Denman | Freed from Venezuela in December 2023 after 1,325 days
Airan Berry | Freed from Venezuela in December 2023 after 1,325 days
Eyvin Hernandez | Freed from Venezuela in December 2023 after 630 days
Joseph Cristella | Freed from Venezuela in December 2023 after 462 days
Jerrel Kenemore | Freed from Venezuela in December 2023 after 643 days
Paul Whelan | Freed from Russia in August 2024 after 2,043 days
David Lin | Freed from China in September 2024 after 6,681 days
Mark Swidan | Freed from China in November 2024 after 4,397 days
Kai Li | Freed from China in November 2024 after 3,001 days
Marc Fogel | Freed from Russia in February 2025 after 1,277 days -
American Wrongful Detainee or Hostage Family?
Reach out to us at bofhcampaign@protonmail.com