'Make his freedom a priority': Parents of journalist Austin Tice demand Biden take action to free their son nine years after the former Marine was kidnapped by Assad regime in Syria

Parents of a former Marine turned journalist pleaded with President Joe Biden to engage in diplomatic talks to bring their son home after nine years in Syrian captivity. 

A day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to free Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in August 2012, Tice's parents called on the president to make his safe return home a priority

Tice's parents continue to hold out hope that Austin - who turned 40 on Thursday - is still alive. 

Tice's dad Marc told NBC's Lester Holt  that Biden needs 'to tell the State Department that Austin's freedom is a priority.'

Blinken said on Wednesday that he was personally committed to bringing Tice - and all other detained Americans - home. 

Debra Tice - Austin's mom - told Holt that 'words are easy.'

'We are measuring more by action, which we don't see. And the only thing that we have asked since 2012, nine years, three administrations, is direct diplomatic engagement with the Syrian government,' she said. 

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Debra and Marc Tice, Austin's parents, want the US government to engage in the Syrian government to engage in direct diplomatic talks to bring Austin home

Marc Tice said, President Joe Biden needs 'to tell the State Department that Austin's freedom is a priority'

The State Department believes the reporter is still alive, although the Syrian government hasn't said so one way or the other.  

Yesterday, Blinken said in a statement, Tice 'turns 40 years old today, having spent almost a quarter of his life in captivity.'

'We believe that it is within Bashar al-Assad's power to free Austin. We will continue to pursue all avenues to bring Austin home,' he said.

'Austin Tice must be allowed to return home to his loved ones who miss him dearly and to the country that awaits him eagerly.'

In 2012, at the time of his captivity, Tice, originally from Texas, was a law student at Georgetown University and freelance photojournalist working for Agence France Press, McClatchy News, The Washington Post, CBS and other news organizations.

He went missing on August 14, 2012, after being detained at a checkpoint near Damascus before being shown and held by unidentified armed men in a video, which was released five weeks later. 

Biden administration officials have told McClatchy news service that they are operating 'with the sincere belief' that Tice is still alive. 

They believe Tice is being held by the Syrian government itself, or its allies.  

This undated photo obtained from the Tice family shows their son, Austin, who has been missing in Syria for nine years. At least 30 journalists from around the world have disappeared or been held as hostages and threatened with death by extremists or gangs seeking ransom

Freelance journalist Austin Tice was also a law student at Georgetown University and a former U.S. Marine Corps officer

Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, is in charge of Tice's case along the Hostage Recovery fusion Cell according to a report by the Associated Press.

AP also claimed that Carstens travelled to Syria last summer for a meeting between the Syrian government and the then-Trump administration. 

Washington planned to negotiate the return of multiple US citizens, including Tice.

However, the trip was deemed as unsuccessful as Syrian officials issued a list of demands, including lifting sanctions and withdrawing troops while sharing no information on Tice's precise location. 

In a statement posted Wednesday marking the anniversary, Tice's parents, Debra and Marc Tice, say Biden should make it clear that his freedom is a priority.

'We are now imploring a third President of the United States to communicate to his administration that Austin's secure release and safe return is a priority,' they wrote. 'There are many capable people working in our government who are eager to see Austin walk free; they must have President Biden's authorization for significant and relevant diplomatic engagement with the Syrian government.'

Marc and Debra Tice , the parents of U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who's currently held as a hostage in Syria, give a press conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut in 2018. The parents have worked under three presidential administration to try to bring their son home

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed 'to continue to pursue all avenues to bring Austin home' as Tice turns 40 years old today, having spent almost a quarter of his life in captivity

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden has ordered his administration to use all tools at its disposal to secure Tice’s freedom, including 'talking to anyone.' 

'We are committed to following all avenues and talking to anyone who can help with Austin’s release and return home,' Psaki said. 'We don’t speak about those publicly, because that’s not in the interests of the outcome. But we are committed to using every tool at our disposal to bring Austin and all hostages held in Syria home.'

Biden 'is directing Syria to release Austin Tice,” she added,' and 'he has asked his government to use every tool and tool of engagement available to bring him home.'  

Tice was also an officer enrolled in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Currently, roughly half a dozen US citizens are estimated to be held by the Syrian government or forces allied with Damascus, including Syrian-American psychotherapist Majd Kamalmaz.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden has ordered his administration to use all tools at its disposal to secure Tice’s freedom, including 'talking to anyone.'

Syrian-American psychotherapist Majd Kamalmaz has gone missing in Syria since 2017. Like Tice, his whereabouts are unknown 

Kamalmaz was stopped at a government checkpoint in Damascus less than 24 hours after landing in the country from Lebanon in 2017,  according to his family, as it was the last time they heard from him.

A State Department spokesperson told Middle East Eye on Wednesday that Washington calls on Syria to 'help release Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz and every U.S. citizen held hostage in Syria.'. 

Syria erupted into civil war almost a decade ago after Assad began a brutal crackdown in 2011 on protesters calling for an end to his family's rule.

At least 139 journalists have been killed while covering the conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based watchdog.