Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-110

§2715a Provision of Information on Certain Violent Crimes Abroad to Victims and Victims’ Families

Title 22 › CHAPTER 38 — DEPARTMENT OF STATE › § 2715a

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Require the Secretary of State to make sure the U.S. government quickly finds and shares information about the killing, abduction, torture, or other serious mistreatment of U.S. citizens abroad. This includes classified material. The information must be given to the victims or, when proper, to their family members if those family members are U.S. citizens. Congress says this is important and should be handled by a cabinet-level official. Sharing must not endanger secret sources or methods, national security, ongoing criminal cases, or violate any law that forbids disclosure.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §2715a

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that—

(1)it is in the national interests of the United States to provide information regarding the killing, abduction, torture, or other serious mistreatment of United States citizens abroad to the victims of such crimes, or the families of victims of such crimes if they are United States citizens; and

(2)the provision of such information is sufficiently important that the discharge of the responsibility for identifying and disseminating such information should be vested in a cabinet-level officer of the United States Government.

(b)Responsibility

The Secretary of State shall take appropriate actions to ensure that the United States Government takes all appropriate actions to—

(1)identify promptly information (including classified information) in the possession of the departments and agencies of the United States Government regarding the killing, abduction, torture, or other serious mistreatment of United States citizens abroad; and

(2)subject to subsection (c), promptly make such information available to—

(A)the victims of such crimes; or

(B)when appropriate, the family members of the victims of such crimes if such family members are United States citizens.

(c)Limitations

The Secretary shall work with the heads of appropriate departments and agencies of the United States Government in order to ensure that information relevant to a crime covered by subsection (b) is promptly reviewed and, to the maximum extent practicable, without jeopardizing sensitive sources and methods or other vital national security interests, or without jeopardizing an on-going criminal investigation or proceeding, made available under that subsection unless such disclosure is specifically prohibited by law.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 2715a

Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110