Former special presidential envoy for hostage affairs announced as inaugural John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners distinguished senior fellow
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 19, 2025) – The McCain Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) today welcomed former Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) at the U.S. Department of State Amb. Roger Carstens as the inaugural John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative (FPPI) distinguished senior fellow.
In this role, Carstens will provide strategic leadership for the FPPI and serve as a McCain Institute spokesperson on major hostage, wrongful detainee, and political prisoner recovery efforts. He will also liaise with lawmakers, NGO partners, and other stakeholders to stop state and non-state actors from taking hostages, contribute case-specific policy recommendations to aid in recovery efforts, and more.
Carstens served as the third SPEHA at the U.S. Department of State from 2020 to 2025. Over two presidential administrations, Carstens and his office brought over 65 American wrongful detainees and political prisoners home, including managing one of the largest prisoner swaps in history that brought home three Americans and Russian political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza, plus 12 others.
“Amb. Carstens is the current leading advocate and practitioner of getting people home,” said Pedro Pizano, assistant director of the John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative and Global Democracy Programs at the McCain Institute.“His bipartisan tenure brought loved ones back to their families, and to their grateful nations. While bringing over 65 individuals home, he was also involved in the hundreds of others released with the U.S.’s help from Nicaragua and Cuba, and many other places. We are honored and grateful that Amb. Carstens has decided to join the McCain Institute to advise us as we take the John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative to the next level.”
FPPI, launched in February 2025, is inspired by Senator McCain’s experience as a prisoner of war and life-long advocacy for those wrongfully detained and provides vital support to individuals held as political prisoners or hostages by repressive regimes.
“I am honored to join the McCain Institute in their mission to bring hostages, political prisoners, and wrongful detainees home to their families,” said Ambassador Roger D. Carstens. “Senator McCain knew like few others what it means to spend over five years in a prison abroad and always advocated for all those who are wrongfully held. We’ll seek to not only keep bringing people home, but also to raise awareness about how stakeholders can best support families and enhance avenues for deterrence and accountability. Bringing people home is a team sport, and as such, I’m excited to join this initiative alongside Vladimir and Evgenia Kara-Murza, Sarah (Moriarty) and Doug Levinson, Diane Foley, and the dedicated and experienced FPPI advisory board.”
Carstens is also an inaugural member of the FPPI Advisory Council. The council is welcoming two new members: President and Founder of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation Diane Foley, the mother of journalist James W. Foley who was beheaded by ISIS in Syria, and former Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of State Doug Levinson, son of Robert Levinson, the longest held hostage in American history.
Learn more about the McCain Institute’s Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative HERE.
About the McCain Institute at Arizona State University
The McCain Institute is a nonpartisan organization inspired by Senator John McCain and his family’s dedication to public service. We are part of Arizona State University and based in Washington, D.C. Our programs defend democracy, advance human rights and freedom, and empower character-driven leaders. Our unique power to convene leaders across the global political spectrum enables us to make a real impact on the world’s most pressing challenges. Our goal is action, not talk, and like Senator McCain, we are fighting to create a free, safe, and just world for all.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.