MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Thursday marks the start of Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) mass-scale campaign seeking the release of a US reporter who went missing in Syria nearly three years ago.
14 January 2015, 20:48 GMT
Austin Tice, whose work appeared in a number of local and national publications as well as news agencies and news channels, has been missing since August 2012.
"With the #FreeAustinTice campaign, RSF calls on Austin's captors, whoever they are, to release him without delay," Christophe Deloire, the international non-profit organization's secretary general, said in a press release.
According to RSF, over 268 news websites are expected take part in the campaign, offering the #FreeAustinTice hashtag on their pages for weeks ahead.
RSF USA Director Delphine Halgand lauded the "unheard-of" nature of the push to secure Tice's release.
"This is a first in US media history," Halgand said.
According to RSF, 13 journalists have been held captive in Syria since civil conflict broke out in the country in 2011.
