Shows
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod 4: Free Robert Pether, Australian held in Iraq | Pod Hostage DiplomacyLast 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 Iraq. The project was hit by delays and increased costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a...2023-05-0330 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, Americans held in Russia | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAmerican 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 and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act as well as how the U.S. Secretary of State makes the decision to designate an American held abroad as “wrongfully detained”.W...2023-04-1957 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod: Free Shahab Dalili, American hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyShahab 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 he may be left behind by the United States government if a pris...2023-03-2923 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Cecile Kohler, French hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyCecile 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 were aired on Iranian state media. The French government was outraged by this and strongly condemned it. On this...2023-03-1540 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod 2: Free Nahid Taghavi, German hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage Diplomacy68-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 honour of speaking once again to Nahid’s daughter, Mariam Claren who brings us up to speed on her mo...2023-03-0143 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod: Free Benjamin Briere, French hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyToday 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 as hostage diplomacy.On this episode, we speak once again to Benjamin’s sister, Blandine Briere who tell...2023-02-1515 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod: Free Jamshid Sharmahd, German citizen and US resident held hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyIn 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 spoke one year ago. We discuss the ongoi...2023-02-0135 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod 2: Free Kai Li, American held in China | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAmerican 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 affected Kai including his ability to communicate with the U.S. Embassy in China and his family.2023-01-1844 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYPeter Humphrey, British fraud investigator and ex-journalist previously held in China | Pod Hostage DiplomacyBritish 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 his wife were released almost two years later. Peter was released before his sentence ended due to poor h...2023-01-043h 32
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYBrittney is free, Paul was left behind - again | Pod Hostage DiplomacyOn 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 find out what it was like for Paul and the Whelan family to be left behind again. We also dis...2022-12-2142 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Jerrel Kenemore, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage DiplomacyJerrel 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 Tillery to find out how we can help free Jerrel. Jeana walks us through Jerrel’s background, how he was taken captive...2022-12-0755 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod 3: Free Robert Pether, Australian held in Iraq | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAustralian 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 last conversation with Desree in August, there have been significant updates on Robert’s case and Desree brings us up to s...2022-11-2320 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Eyvin Hernandez, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage DiplomacyLast 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 walks us through what happened to Eyvin including his disappearance while he was on holiday in Colombia and h...2022-11-0936 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYJose Pereira, American previously held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage DiplomacyEarlier 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 meeting, Jose and his five American colleagues were arrested on false charges and were wrongfully imprisoned in the country. Collectively...2022-10-261h 30
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYAya Hijazi, American citizen and humanitarian previously held in Egypt | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAya 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. The US government publicly called for Aya’s release and she was eventually freed in April 2017. On this...2022-10-121h 28
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Benjamin Briere, French hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyFrench 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 bring him back home to France. Blandine walks us through Benjamin’s disappear...2022-09-2828 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Shahab Dalili, American hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyShahab 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 walks us through what happened to his father, his unfair trial and how...2022-09-1432 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod 2: Free Robert Pether, Australian held in Iraq | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAustralian 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 and a dispute arose whereby the Iraqi government demanded the return of $12 million USD paid to CME Consulting. A...2022-08-3123 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod 2: Free Paul Whelan, American held in Russia | Pod Hostage DiplomacyThe 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 asking for more as well as push back within the US. We also discuss what t...2022-08-171h 10
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Jose Pereira, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage DiplomacyUS 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 to us about what happened to his father, the conditions of his detention, the unfair trial and the s...2022-08-031h 16
Khan's Den: Turkic and Steppe HistoryTurks and Japanese: Distant Relatives? In-Depth Analysis with Prof. Martine RobbeetsExplore the historical and cultural connections between Türkiye and Japan with Prof. Martine Robbeets. In this episode, we delve deep into three phases of Turkic-Japanese relations, tracing back to 7000 BC. Discover the striking similarities in traditions, values, and societal structures of these two nations located at opposite ends of Asia. Learn how the past can offer solutions to modern challenges such as aging populations and identity crises. Enjoy an enlightening discussion on the Altaic Connection and the intertwined histories of Turks and Japanese.
#Türkiye #Japan #Turks #Japanese #Prof.MartineRobbeets #history #AltaicConnection #culture #traditions #society #Turkic-Japaneserelations #7000BC...2022-07-0132 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYTrevor Reed Is Home. Now It’s Time To Heal | Pod Hostage DiplomacyThree 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 abroad home.There are very few people in the world...2022-05-1816 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod: Free Robert Pether, Australian held in Iraq | Pod Hostage DiplomacyRobert 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 USD paid to CME Consulting. As a result of this dispute between the Iraqi government and CME C...2022-05-1122 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYTrevor is free, Paul was left behind | Pod Hostage DiplomacyOne 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 Hostage Diplomacy and we are very happy for them. We are also truly grateful for the efforts o...2022-05-041h 11
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod 2: Free Tomeu Vadell, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAmerican 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 on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD). It usually takes 6-12 months for UNWGAD to release their opinion on a case. It has been...2022-04-2740 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod: Free Kai Li, American held in China | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAmerican 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 government have imposed one of the strictest COVID19 lockdowns in the wo...2022-04-2030 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Robert Pether, Australian held in Iraq | Pod Hostage DiplomacyThursday 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 was hit by delays and increased costs due to the COVID pandemic and a dispute arose whereby the Iraqi government demanded th...2022-04-1320 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYMichael White, American, US Navy veteran and former hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyMichael 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 released in a prisoner swap deal between the US and Iran. On this week...2022-04-061h 40
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Jorge Toledo, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAmerican 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 the CITGO 6 as they are now hopeful their loved ones may come home soon.This is our fif...2022-03-301h 07
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYNazanin is free but other hostages remain in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyDuring 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 at the Royal Air Force base when she landed – her husband Richard Ratcliffe who’s campaign...2022-03-231h 02
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYDiane Foley, Founder and President of the James W Foley Legacy Foundation | Pod Hostage DiplomacyDiane 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 currently the President of the Foundation.This week, we have the honour of speaking to Diane Foley herself...2022-03-1657 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod: Free Nahid, German Hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyOn 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 Nahid Taghavi. Members of the German Bundestag from multiple political parties have stated...2022-03-0941 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYMichael Scott Moore, German-American journalist and former hostage in Somalia | Pod Hostage DiplomacyIn 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 pirates were killed. As a result, the pirates holding Michael were determined to make sure there wasn’t going to be another successful rescue. He e...2022-03-021h 12
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYJonathan Franks, Crisis management consultant for American hostage families | Pod Hostage DiplomacyJonathan 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 honour of speaking to Jonathan himself. We discuss the work he does for American families, his...2022-02-231h 07
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod: Free Trevor Reed, American and former US Marine held in Russia | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAmerican 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 that he is being held by the Russian government at the request of the Russian security agency, the FSB so h...2022-02-1633 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod: Free Tomeu Vadell, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAmerican 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 unconditional release. Their families believe they are being held as bargaining chips to extract concessions from the United States. Thi...2022-02-0943 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Fariba Adelkhah, French academic held in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyFrench 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 member of the Free Fariba Support Committee, Sandrine Perrot.Sandrine walks us through what happened to Fariba, her background, the conditions she’s being he...2022-02-0251 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYSITREP Pod: Free Paul Whelan, American and former US Marine held in Russia | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAmerican 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 later, there have been significant and worrying developments. On this episode, Eli...2022-01-2643 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Jamshid Sharmahd, German citizen and US resident held hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyJamshid 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 and has called for his immediate release. On this episode, we have the honour of speaking to Gazelle Sharmahd, Ja...2022-01-1949 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree The Zambranos, Americans held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAmerican 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 Antony Blinken have both called for their unconditional release. Their families believe they are being held as bargaining chips to...2022-01-121h 05
Epich Aotearoa - Create a Better Future!EP34 - With Chris Kumeroa #WDW | Every Job's ImportantIn this episode Joe had the privilege of connecting with and having a conversation with Chris 'Just another Bro' Kumeroa. A former New Zealand Special Air Service Operator and Current Global Risk Consulting Director. Chris' desire and commitment to serving others stems from a strong sense of family, responsibility, example and hardwork.
Chris has a clear and apparent passion for people and helping them to the best of his ability. Leveraging his knowledge, skills and expertise gained at the coal-face of some of the most arduous and complex environments in the world, he finds ways to create...2022-01-062h 13
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Kamran Ghaderi, Austrian hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyKamran 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.On this week’s episode, we speak to Kamran’s...2021-12-2219 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYNick Dunn, British citizen and former British Army soldier previously held in India, Part 3 | Pod Hostage DiplomacyBritish 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 and they were wrongfully imprisoned in India for 4 years. Nick and these other 5 Brits were collectively kn...2021-12-0836 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYNick Dunn, British citizen and former British Army soldier previously held in India, Part 2 | Pod Hostage DiplomacyNick 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 other 5 Brits were collectively known as the Chennai 6.This week’s episode is part two...2021-12-0139 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYNick Dunn, British citizen and former British Army soldier previously held in India, Part 1 | Pod Hostage DiplomacyNick 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 by the Indian coast guard. 10 crew members and 25 guards including Nick and th...2021-11-241h 11
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Nazanin, British Hostage in Iran – The Hunger Strike, Part 3 | Pod Hostage DiplomacyThis 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 Parliament regarding freeing his wife as well as what’s next for the Free Nazanin campaign. We also...2021-11-1729 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Nazanin, British Hostage in Iran – The Hunger Strike, Part 2 | Pod Hostage DiplomacyRichard 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 volunteers of the Free Nazanin campaign, human rights activist and Hollywood...2021-11-1031 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Nazanin, British Hostage in Iran – The Hunger Strike, Part 1 | Pod Hostage DiplomacyFamily 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 for the last 5 years.Richard’s ability to keep on campaigning tirelessly to free his wi...2021-11-0336 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Majd Kamalmaz, American Hostage in Syria | Pod Hostage DiplomacyIn 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 diplomatic ties with Syria. The US House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan resolution encouraging the State Department and...2021-10-2726 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYBreaking News Pod: Husband of British hostage in Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe goes on hunger strike next to Prime Minister’s office| Pod Hostage DiplomacyBritish citizen, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been held hostage in Iran by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps since 3 April 2016. Two former UK Foreign Secretaries and the current Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee have all called Nazanin a hostage. She is being held by the Iranian regime to extract concessions from the British government. This is hostage diplomacy. It’s been over five and a half years since Nazanin was taken hostage and the British government have yet to free her and bring her home to her husband and seven year old daughter in London. Today, Richard Rat...2021-10-2435 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Paul Rusesabagina, Hotel Rwanda hero, Belgian citizen and US permanent resident held in Rwanda | Pod Hostage DiplomacyPaul Rusesabagina, a Belgian citizen and US permanent resident, is a recipient of the US Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has been credited with saving 1,200 lives during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Paul’s acts of extraordinary courage inspired the Hollywood movie, Hotel Rwanda. Paul left Rwanda in 1996 fearing for his safety, and later became increasingly critical of the Rwandan government’s human rights violations. He then founded an opposition political party called the Party of Democracy in Rwanda and in 2018 co-founded the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change, a coalition of opposition groups. In August 2020, Paul Rusesabagina was kidna...2021-10-2058 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYBreaking News Pod: American Tomeu Vadell and rest of Citgo 6 held in Venezuela taken from house arrest back to prison | Pod Hostage DiplomacyAmerican citizen, Tomeu Vadell from Lake Charles, Louisiana has been unjustly detained in Venezuela since November 2017. He works for US-based oil company, Citgo and was detained with 5 of his colleagues. Collectively, they’re known as the Citgo 6. The US government has called on Venezuela to release them immediately.Since earlier this year, the Citgo 6 have been on house arrest. Yesterday, all 6 of them were taken back to prison by Venezuelan authorities. Tomeu Vadell’s family believe this is in retaliation to the US government extraditing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s close confidant, Alex Saab to the US. We...2021-10-1714 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Kai Li, American held in China | Pod Hostage DiplomacyThe detention and recent release of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have alerted the world to China’s hostage diplomacy. American citizen Kai Li from New York has been unjustly detained in China since September 2016. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has stated that his detention is arbitrary and has called on the Chinese government to release Kai Li immediately. Kai Li’s family believe that he is being held as a bargaining chip to extract concessions from the United States – this would be hostage diplomacy. We speak to his son, Harrison Li to find out how we...2021-10-1343 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Nahid, German Hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyOn 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. Shortly after Nahid’s arrest, the German government updated their travel advisory warning German citizens who also hold Iranian nationality against travelling to Iran. Members of the German Bun...2021-10-061h 02
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYRoland Marchal, French academic and former hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyIn June 2019, French academic Roland Marchal decided to fly to Iran to spend a six day holiday with his partner. Within moments of landing in Iran, Roland was arrested at the airport by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC. He was taken to the notorious Evin prison where he would spend the next nine and a half months. On 20th March 2020, Roland was freed and flown back home to France in a prisoner swap deal between France and Iran. This is an example of Iran’s hostage diplomacy. On this week’s episode, we are joined by Rola...2021-09-2955 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Paul Whelan, American and former US Marine held in Russia | Pod Hostage DiplomacyToday marks 1,000 days since Paul Whelan, an American citizen and former US Marine has been unjustly detained in Russia. US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Congress have all called on Russia to release Paul and allow him to return home to his family in Michigan. Paul’s family believe he is being held by the Russian FSB as a bargaining chip to extract concessions from the United States. This would be hostage diplomacy. We speak to Paul’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan to find out what we can do to help.We discuss what happ...2021-09-221h 34
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Tomeu Vadell, American held in Venezuela | Pod Hostage DiplomacyThe US government have stated that Tomeu Vadell, an American citizen, has been wrongfully detained in Venezuela since November 2017 and have called on the Venezuelan authorities to release him unconditionally. Tomeu Vadell is one of the Citgo 6 and his family believe he is being used as a bargaining chip by the Venezuelan government to extract concessions from the United States.Tomeu is a husband, a father and now a grandfather from Lake Charles, Louisiana. We speak to his daughter, Veronica Vadell Weggeman to find out what we can do to help bring her father home. W...2021-09-1549 min
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Trevor Reed, American and former US Marine held in Russia | Pod Hostage DiplomacyTrevor Reed is an American citizen and former US Marine unjustly held in Russia since August 2019. America may appear divided on many issues but when it comes to Trevor, the White House, State Department, Senate and House of Representatives have all called on Russia to release Trevor immediately and allow him to come back home to Texas.We speak to Trevor’s parents, Joey and Paula Reed on what happened to Trevor and where he is now, Trevor’s time in the US Marine Corps which included guarding President Obama, the Free Trevor Reed campaign, Paul Whelan, US s...2021-09-081h 13
POD HOSTAGE DIPLOMACYFree Nazanin, British Hostage in Iran | Pod Hostage DiplomacyTwo former UK Foreign Secretaries and the current UK Foreign Affairs Committee Chair have called Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British citizen and mother unjustly detained in Iran since 3 April 2016 – a hostage. Nazanin’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe talks to us about his campaign to free his wife and what we can do to help reunite his family.We discuss how and why Nazanin was taken, the outstanding 400 million debt UK owes Iran, seeking help from the United Nations, deciding to go public, the FreeNazanin campaign, better protections for British citizens overseas, working with other hostage families, Magnitsky sanctions as well...2021-09-011h 36