Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), Chairman of the National Intelligence Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and Member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, issued the following statement following the release of U.S. citizen Tigran Gambaryan on humanitarian grounds, who had been imprisoned by the Nigerian government for the past eight months.

In a statement, Fitzpatrick said:

"Today marks a long-overdue victory for justice and freedom. The release of Tigran Gambaryan comes as a profound relief for his family, his loved ones, and all of us who fought for his return.

The injustices Tigran endured over the last eight months cannot become the standard for our U.S. nationals detained while abroad. We must stand firm against human rights abuses and ensure that no U.S. citizen is ever deprived of legal counsel or subjected to unjust imprisonment.

While Tigran’s health has suffered, he is now where he belongs—home, surrounded by family. We pray for him on his road to recovery. Although we celebrate this victory justice, our work continues until every American citizen held wrongfully detained abroad is brought home.”

This July, Congressman Fitzpatrick led a weeklong series of critical and successful intelligence meetings in Liberia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Germany.

During the trip, Fitzpatrick met with Tigran Gambaryan, as well as Congolese Officials to advocate for the release of another American. Acting as a surrogate in negotiations, Fitzpatrick saw through the successful release of the detained U.S. citizen from DRC custody on Friday, July 19^th.

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