The Countries Where The State Department Warns That Travelers Risk Being Wrongfully Detained

By Kathryn Watson, CBS Minnesota

December 10, 2022

During his announcement that the WNBA's Brittney Griner had been released by Russia, President Joe Biden had a broader message directed at all Americans to "take precautions" and review the State Department travel advisories before traveling overseas. He noted that those advisories now include warnings about the "risk of being wrongfully detained by a foreign government."

Russia's detention of Griner, who returned home to the United States early Friday morning, and Marine veteran Paul Whelan, who remains in Russian custody after four years, has focused broader attention on the wrongful detention of Americans abroad. Another Marine veteran, Trevor Reed, was released by Russia in a prisoner swap in April.

In July, the State Department added a new risk factor to its travel advisories, warning U.S. citizens traveling abroad of the possibility they could be wrongfully detained by a foreign country's government. That indicator, signified by a "D" label, has been attached since the summer to existing travel advisories for Russia and seven other countries — Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, and Venezuela.

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