Americans should not travel to Afghanistan, Burma (also known as Myanmar), North Korea, Venezuela, Iran, or Russia because of the high risk of “wrongful detention” in these nations, the State Department has warned.

All six nations currently have the “Level 4: Do Not Travel” designation, it said in a Sept. 10 post. Level 4 is the most severe of the four travel advisory levels under the State Department.

The risks in Afghanistan include not only wrongful detention, but also civil unrest, crime, terrorism, limited health facilities, and kidnapping, according to the department’s Jan. 13 advisory.

“Multiple terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan and U.S. citizens are targets of kidnapping and hostage-taking,” the department stated at the time.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, suspended operations in 2021, and Washington is currently unable to provide routine or emergency consular services to Americans in the country, it stated.

“U.S. citizens should not travel to Afghanistan for any reason,” the advisory states.

In Burma, risks include arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the potential for civil unrest, and armed conflict, the department’s May 12 advisory states. The country is currently ruled by a military regime that deposed elected officials in a February 2021 coup.

“Wrongfully detained U.S. nationals have been held in prison for years, often in poor conditions and without fair and transparent treatment or consistent access to U.S. Embassy officials or their families,” the department stated.

In Iran, Washington currently does not have consular or diplomatic relations, a March 31 advisory reads.

Americans face “serious dangers” in Iran and could be detained simply for having a U.S. passport, it states.

“Iranian authorities continue to unjustly detain U.S. nationals without warning or any evidence they committed a crime,“ the advisory reads. ”This includes dual U.S.–Iranian nationals, students, journalists, business travelers, academics, and individuals with U.S. military or government experience.”

Detained Americans may be subjected to psychological torture and even sentenced to death, according to the advisory.

With regard to North Korea, U.S. passports cannot be used to travel to the nation unless specially validated by the secretary of state, which is granted only under limited circumstances, the department’s April 29 advisory states.

There is a risk of wrongful detention, according to the department.

“The Government of North Korea has subjected U.S. citizens to arbitrary entry and exit bans, expulsions, arrests, and other actions,“ it stated. ”The U.S. government cannot guarantee your release.”

As for Russia, its ongoing war in Ukraine poses dangers to Americans traveling to Moscow, according to a May 8 advisory issued by the State Department that highlights a risk of harassment and wrongful detention by Russian security officials.

All U.S. consulates have suspended operations in Russia, and the U.S. Embassy has a limited ability to assist Americans in case they are detained by local authorities, according to the department.

“Russian security services have arrested U.S. citizens on false charges,“ it states in the advisory. ”They have denied them fair treatment and convicted them without credible evidence.”

In Venezuela, the U.S. Embassy has suspended operations since March 2019, according to a May 12 advisory from the State Department. In addition to being wrongfully detained, Americans may also be subjected to torture while in detention, the advisory states.

“Security forces have detained U.S. citizens for up to five years without respect for due process,” the department said at the time.

“According to former detainees, as well as independent human rights organizations, detainees have been subjected to torture and cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment, including severe beatings, prolonged restraint in stress positions, and waterboarding.”

Trump’s Executive Order

The State Department’s advice to avoid traveling to the six nations comes days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 5 aimed at strengthening efforts to protect Americans from being wrongfully detained abroad.

The order empowers the secretary of state to designate a foreign nation as a “State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention” if it is involved in such detention of Americans, according to a Sept. 5 White House fact sheet.

The secretary of state is authorized to take necessary actions, such as sanctions and export controls, to deter and respond to such wrongful confinements, it states.

“[The president’s] new Executive Order delivers unprecedented action to protect Americans from wrongful detention abroad,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Sept. 6 X post.

“Designating State Sponsors of Wrongful Detention sends a clear message: If you attempt to use an American as a bargaining chip, you will face severe consequences.”

U.S. citizens are captured by foreign forces often for the purposes of hostage diplomacy, a form of negotiating with the U.S. government.

According to a post from the Foley Foundation, a organization that advocates for U.S. hostages and wrongful detainees held abroad, more U.S. citizens were wrongfully detained in the 10 years between 2015 and 2024 than in the previous decade.

“At one point in 2024, at least 54 Americans were held hostage or wrongfully detained overseas in 17 countries,” the group stated in the post.

“The Foley Foundation assessed the majority of them [83 percent] as wrongfully detained. At least 17 Americans were released from captivity last year, the vast majority [47 percent] through prisoner exchanges.”