One year ago today, Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton University graduate student, journalist, and Middle East scholar was abducted in Baghdad by the Iranian-backed terrorist group, Khatib Hezbollah. Today, her sister Emma Tsurkov held a rally outside the Iraqi embassy and spoke about her sister in an effort to pressure Iraqi officials to push for her release—and in an effort to pressure American officials to lean on those Iraqi officials.
I spoke at length with Emma on the Lawfare Podcast later this afternoon—an episode that will run next week. I also shot this video of her speech, which I commend to you in the meantime.
I have never met Elizabeth in person, but we used to be Twitter buddies and corresponded sometimes on WhatsApp. She is a remarkable woman—as, it turns out, is her sister. Take a few minutes to listen to Emma making the case that American policymakers should care about Elizabeth’s situation at the hands of a group that also routine targets American forces in the region.
Emma Tsurkov at the Iraqi Embassy Today