According to the State Department, George Glezmann has been released after having been held in captivity by the Taliban for more than two years.
In a statement, Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, stated: “Today, after two and a half years of captivity George Glezmann is on his return to Aleksandra, his wife.”
Rubio thanked Qatar’s “steadfast commitment and diplomatic efforts” for “facilitating” Glezmann’s release. He said Qatari officials were “instrumental” in securing George Glezmann’s release. “
Rubio stated, “George’s freedom is a constructive, positive step. This is a good reminder for other Americans still in Afghanistan.”
According to the State Department, Afghanistan is a Level 4 country. This means that Americans shouldn’t travel there.
Glezmann, a Delta Air Lines airline mechanic, visited Afghanistan as a tourist in 2022. According to his family, he had planned to explore the culture and history in Afghanistan for five days. However, he was arrested on December 5 by the Taliban’s intelligence service.
In September 2023, the Biden administration declared him to be wrongfully in prison.
According to a Democratic Senate Resolution, the Taliban kept Glezmann in “solitary or underground confinement for many months”, and sometimes “solitary confinement”. Glezmann, who is from Georgia, was represented by Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
Glezmann was suffering from “facial tumors, severe malnutrition, and hypertension” during his time in prison. The senators also said that he experienced a rapid decline in his mental and physical condition.
U.S. officials claim that since Glezmann’s arrest, there have been intermittent talks to bring him home.
Negotiations were close to breaking through in January when officials agreed on a deal that would see the release of American Ryan Corbett and another U.S. Citizen in exchange for Glezmann. The Taliban, however, refused to accept Glezmann in the exchange.
“Today is a good day. We succeeded in obtaining the release of an American citizen, Georg Glezmann, after two years in detention in Kabul,” former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad posted on X following his release. “The Taliban government agreed to free him as a goodwill gesture to @POTUS and the American people. George is on his way home to his family.”
The Taliban Foreign Affairs Office announced on X that U.S. officials met with Taliban officials in Afghanistan to discuss “bilateral relations” and “positive economics” as they negotiated Glezmann’s release.
Glezmann has, according to the Qatari government, arrived in Doha. He will arrive in the United States on Friday, along with Adam Boehler, the special envoy of the Trump administration to the hostage crisis. However, plans may change.
Glezmann told WSB that she was eager to help George recover while rebuilding our lives. “We are forever grateful that President Trump brought George back home. “
