New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy statement on the release of non-resident fellow Elizabeth Tsurkov 

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 11, 2025 –New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy is relieved to learn about the release of its non-resident fellow Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped in Iraq by Kataeb Hezbollah in March 2023.  

“We are delighted to know that Elizabeth Tsurkov has been freed and has reunited with her family,” said Nicholas A. Heras, Senior Director at New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy. “We are also thankful for the efforts of everyone involved in securing her release, after more than two years of captivity.” 

As a non-resident fellow since 2021, Tsurkov’s research focused on the Levant, and particularly, the Syrian uprising and civil war. Her research draws on a broad network of contacts that she has established across the Middle East. She has also conducted fieldwork in Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and other countries in the region.  

Tsurkov has over a decade of experience in volunteering and working for human rights organizations in the Middle East fighting for the rights of Palestinians, refugees and migrants, torture survivors, human trafficking victims and ethnic and religious minorities. Her work has been published in leading international outlets. 

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