Australians abroad at growing risk of being detained and ‘used as pawns’ by rogue nations, inquiry warns

Special envoy needed to help free citizens subjected to hostage diplomacy' by authoritarian regimes, senate committee finds

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Australia needs a specialist envoy dedicated to freeing its citizens arbitrarily detained by rogue nations, a senate committee inquiry has recommended.

The practice of hostage diplomacy" is an increasing threat, the senate committee found, and Australians should be specifically warned that authoritarian regimes in some countries - naming China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Mali and Myanmar - arbitrarily detain Australian citizens.

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