HOUSTON, Texas – On July 4, a new mural honoring hostages and those wrongfully detained was revealed in Houston. Light Bulbs Unlimited, in the 1200 block of Westheimer Road in Montrose, is where you’ll find it. Fifteen Americans taken hostage or wrongfully imprisoned overseas are depicted in the artwork. There are seven Texans among the fifteen, and three of the men are from the Houston area.
Restore the safety of our American hostages. At Tuesday’s press conference where she unveiled the painting, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said, “Bring them on now. The “Bring Our Families Home” campaign will shine a light on the identities of loved ones who have been separated and the urgent need to effect their return in many ways, and this is just one of them.
Texas captive Austin Tice has been missing in Syria since 2012. His parents, Marc and Debra Tice, are among Congressman Al Green’s staunchest supporters. It is the hope of the “Bring Our Families Home” campaign that Vice President Joe Biden will meet with the families and use every means at his disposal to ensure the safe return of their loved ones. There have been at least 59 examples of Americans being wrongfully detained or held captive overseas, as reported by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation. The new mural depicts the lives of the following 15 Americans:
Originally from Michigan, Paul Whelan has been illegally incarcerated in a Russian prison since 2018.
New Yorker Kai Li has been unjustly incarcerated in China since 2016.
Washingtonian Emad Shargi has been unjustly imprisoned in Iran since 2018.
Connecticut resident Morad Tahbaz has been unjustly incarcerated in Iran since 2018.
David Lin, a California resident, has been illegally imprisoned in China since 2006.
Luke Denman, originally from Houston, Texas, has been illegally incarcerated in Venezuela since 2020.
Wrongly imprisoned in Venezuela since 2022, Jerrel Kenemore is a Texan.
Mark Swidan, a Texan, has been illegally imprisoned in China since 2012.
Austin Tice, originally from Houston, Texas, has been unjustly imprisoned in Syria since 2012.
Texan Zack Shahin, from Houston, has been illegally detained in the United Arab Emirates since 2008.
Airan Berry, a Texan, has been illegally imprisoned in Venezuela since 2020.
Majd Kamalmaz, originally from Texas, has been illegally detained in Syria since 2017.
Wrongly imprisoned in Iran since 2016, Virginia resident Shahab Dalili
Siamak Namazi, a citizen of Maryland, has been unjustly incarcerated in Iran since 2015.
California native and resident Eyvin Hernandez has been illegally imprisoned in Venezuela since 2022.
The release of our loved ones has been promised to us time and time again by President Biden and his administration. We don’t have that impression. At the press conference, Emad Shargi’s sister said, “Our loved ones, depicted on this wall, have spent a collective 103 years perishing in foreign prisons for no reason other than to be Americans.”
Jackson Lee expressed his gratitude to the people and elected officials who worked to secure the release of the Citgo 6 and other prisoners like Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner. The return of these soldiers does not mean the end of the war, but it offers the rest of us hope that if they can go home, so can the rest of the troops, as Jackson Lee said. .
