Washington, United States – US President Donald Trump signed a decree creating a blacklist of countries where Americans are unfairly detained, according to Washington.
It is a procedure under which strict penalties are imposed on the officials concerned.
This list is inspired by the list of countries supporting terrorism prepared by the US State Department.
Which includes financial sanctions on the countries included in it.
The Trump administration has not yet officially announced the names of countries that may be blacklisted.
But a senior official said China, Iran and Afghanistan may be among them due to their “repeated involvement in hostage diplomacy”.
“Today we are setting a clear limit and a red line: You cannot use Americans as a bargaining chip. Otherwise, you will face dire consequences,” the official, who requested anonymity, told reporters.
Under the new decree, countries targeted by Washington are subject to sanctions. Their officials involved in the arrests are prohibited from entering the United States.
Also, under the new decree, the State Department could prevent US citizens from traveling to countries on the list.
Currently, Washington is preventing its citizens from traveling to North Korea. This decision was taken after the case of Otto Warmbier. He was a student detained for a year and a half before being released into a coma and extradited to the United States. Tragically, he died 6 days after his return.
