On December 12, 2024, lawyers from WilmerHale’s Washington DC office organized and led an impactful panel discussion on the critical issue of American hostages in Iran. The event, hosted on Capitol Hill in conjunction with the Congressional Task Force on American Hostages and Americans Wrongfully Detained Abroad, co-chaired by Rep. French Hill (R-AR) and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), brought together former hostages, key experts, and lawmakers to examine the ongoing challenges and potential solutions to hostage-taking by the Iranian government.
David Bowker, Partner-in-Charge of our Washington DC office and Chair of the firm’s International Litigation Group, moderated the discussion. Drawing on his extensive experience in high-stakes international matters, including wrongful detentions and hostage-taking in the context of US-Iran relations, Bowker guided the conversation through an exploration of the wide-ranging impacts of hostage-taking. The discussion highlighted the emotional and financial toll on current and former hostages and their families, the economic incentives that drive Iran to take hostages, and the pressing need for additional tools to punish and deter these actions by Iran and other state sponsors of terrorism.
The panel featured Jason Rezaian, former Tehran Bureau Chief for The Washington Post and a former hostage; Morad Tahbaz, an environmentalist released after nearly six years in Iranian custody; and Liz Cathcart, Executive Director of Hostage US. Additionally, Sarah Levinson Moriarty – daughter of Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent kidnapped in Iran and tragically killed by his captors – was unable to attend in person but submitted a statement that was read aloud during the event.
Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC) delivered the opening remarks, framing the conversation around the impact of hostage-taking and the need for stronger U.S. strategies to address this pressing issue.
“We are honored to have led this vital discussion and to continue our work on behalf of those impacted by wrongful detentions and hostage-taking,” said Bowker, whose efforts, along with WilmerHale Senior International Counsel Ambassador Robert Kimmitt, were instrumental in securing the release of several American hostages, including Jason Rezaian, Morad Tahbaz, and Evan Gershkovich. “There is broad consensus that more tools are needed to punish and deter hostage-taking by Iran and other designated state sponsors of terrorism. The key challenge is identifying effective solutions. One logical and straightforward approach is to empower the President to enforce US court judgments awarded to American victims of Iran’s hostage-taking.”
The event was attended by influential staffers from the House, Senate, and State Department, fostering a productive exchange of ideas on how to address this ongoing and urgent challenge.
The WilmerHale team organizing the event and readying the panelists included Senior Public Policy Advisor Rob Lehman, co-chair of the firm’s Public Policy and Legislative Affairs Practice, Public Policy Advisor Brian Skretny, Counsel Donna Farag, and Senior Associate Douglas Gates.