Designation of a foreign country as a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention

Subject to the notice requirement of subsection (c)(1)(A), the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, may designate a foreign country that has provided support for or directly engaged in the unlawful or wrongful detention of a United States national as a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention based on any of the following criteria: The Secretary of State may terminate the designation of a foreign country under subsection (a) if the Secretary certifies to Congress that the government of the foreign country— Prior to the designation under subsection (a), the Secretary of State shall consult the appropriate committees of Congress. Not later than 7 days after making a designation of a foreign country as a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention under subsection (a), the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report notifying the committees of the designation, including a certification of which criteria in subsection (a) are the basis for the designation. In each report submitted under subparagraph (B) with respect to the designation of a foreign country as a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention, the Secretary shall include— Not later than 60 days after December 18, 2025, the Secretary shall brief Congress on the following: Whether any of the following countries should be designated as a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention under subsection (a): The steps taken by the Secretary and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies to deter the unlawful and wrongful detention of United States nationals and to respond to such detentions, including— Not later than one year after December 18, 2025, and annually thereafter for 5 years, the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs and the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs shall brief the appropriate committees of Congress with respect to unlawful or wrongful detentions taking place in the countries listed under paragraph (2)(A) and actions taken by the Secretary of State and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies to deter the wrongful detention of United States nationals, including any steps taken in accordance with paragraph (2)(B). Any briefings pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be in addition to any briefings requested by the appropriate congressional committees. Nothing in this provision shall be construed to limit the provision of any other briefings to the appropriate committees of Congress. The Secretary shall make available on a publicly accessible website of the Department of State, and regularly update, a list of foreign countries designated as State Sponsors of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention under subsection (a). Upon designation of a foreign country as a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention under subsection (a), the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall conduct a comprehensive review of the use of existing authorities to respond to and deter the unlawful or wrongful detention of United States nationals in the foreign country, including— designating the government of the country as a government that has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism pursuant to— In this section, the term “appropriate committees of Congress” means— Nothing in this section may be construed to imply that—