#FreeRyanCorbett, US Citizen Wrongfully Detained

My name is Anna Corbett, and my husband Ryan has been wrongfully detained without charge by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nearly 800 days. This GoFundMe is to raise funds enabling me to continue advocating for his release by traveling to Washington, DC to meet with policymakers and those who can bring him home.

Our family remained silent about Ryan’s wrongful detainment for more than a year, fearful that speaking publicly would put his life at risk. It’s now clear that the only option is to advocate for his safe return as loudly as possible. After 25 months being held captive and now receiving reports that his health is in jeopardy, I’ve already made 14 trips to Washington and will continue to do so until Ryan is safely home.

We have limited communications with Ryan and know he little sunlight each month, and has been fainting, experiencing seizures, and his limbs have become discolored.

Ryan desperately needs our help to bring him home.

Ryan and I are both US citizens, but we felt moved to go to Afghanistan in 2010. We loved living there. We grew our family and built a life that was invested in service to our community. We worked for several NGOs helping Afghan citizens improve their lives through education, birth, and life-saving skills.

When Ryan received his MBA, he started his own business - a social enterprise focused on helping Afghan citizens become economically stable and independent. He offered consultations to start-up businesses and provided micro loans to grow their modest endeavors to purchase auto rickshaws and cows.

As soon as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, 2021, our family of five fled with just 5 suitcases, leaving behind our home, pets, and the community we’d built over nearly 12 years. But Ryan continued his business remotely from New York, and knew the community and his employees in Afghanistan relied on him.

In January of 2022, Ryan returned to Afghanistan to renew his business visa and to pay and train his staff. It went very well, and all accounts indicated he’d be safe there. However, when he returned on August 10, 2022, he was detained in a dark basement cell, the only suspected reason being his value as political leverage.

In order to bring him home, I need to continue to keep the pressure up in Washington. I’ve seen first hand how it focuses the attention of policymakers on Capitol Hill and in the White House and State Department when I’m there in front of them. Yet these trips are expensive - flights, hotels, taxis, meals. Making a donation today will help us continue this fight and allow us to continue visiting DC to advocate for Ryan’s release.

Funds raised will go directly to the 501(c)(3), Servants International (EIN: 75-233-1420), a certified public charity that supports humanitarian efforts worldwide and is working with our family to collect and manage funds. This means that every donation you make is considered tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Ryan needs our help today. Every day that passes is one where Ryan’s health worsens and his life is at stake.

Our family continues to hope for his speedy return. The pile of unopened Christmas and birthday presents and Valentine’s Day cards for Ryan grows, as do our fears for his safety and wellbeing.

Please help us free Ryan from this unspeakable situation and help our family be reunited by donating to our GoFundMe. We are so grateful for everything you are able to do to #freeryancorbett.

Humbly,

Anna, Ketsia, Miriam, and Caleb Corbett

#freeryancorbett