The family of American mercenary and rebel trainer Matthew VanDyke, who has been lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since his arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in March, has appealed to the US Embassy for urgent diplomatic intervention to secure his return to the United States.
“The family of Matthew VanDyke seeks urgent US diplomatic intervention as Matthew VanDyke is presently still denied basic detainee rights, and is being kept in solitary confinement at Tihar Jail 8/9 in Delhi. It is time to bring Matthew VanDyke back home,” his family said in a statement posted through his verified X account on Monday.
The family claimed that US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor had previously raised VanDyke’s case with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during Rubio’s visit to New Delhi in May.
VanDyke has been charged under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which relates to conspiracy to commit a terrorist act. The provision also covers attempting, aiding, advising or facilitating the commission of such an act.
The NIA has alleged that VanDyke entered Mizoram without the required Restricted Area Permit before illegally crossing into Myanmar. According to the agency, he established contact with ethnic armed groups and assisted in training them in weapons use and drone warfare, including drone construction, operation and anti-drone jamming technology.
The agency has further alleged that the group intended to bring drones from Europe and provide weapons and other military equipment to Myanmar-based groups associated with banned insurgent organisations operating in northeast India.
VanDyke was detained at Kolkata airport on March 13. On the same day, three Ukrainian nationals were arrested at Delhi airport, while three others were taken into custody at Lucknow airport.
VANDYKE'S FAMILY SEEKS URGENT US INTERVENTION, RAISES HEALTH CONCERNS
In a statement released by Sons of Liberty International (SOLI), the organisation founded by VanDyke, his family said he was detained at Kolkata airport on March 11 and subsequently moved from NIA headquarters to Tihar Jail on April 6.
The family alleged that VanDyke has an injured leg and deteriorating eyesight and has not been provided with his prescribed medicines or regular communication with relatives in the US.
According to the statement, VanDyke’s lawyers, Rohit Dandriyal and Rohit Gour, approached a Delhi court seeking permission for him to receive medical treatment at a private hospital and maintain proper communication with his family. The family claimed both requests were rejected on June 1.
It also alleged that VanDyke’s mother, Sharon VanDyke, who is more than 80 years old, was permitted only one five-minute emergency call with her son several months ago.
The statement further claimed that VanDyke was “too weak to stand or walk during a court appearance” and now relies on a wheelchair when meeting his lawyers.
In July, reports said VanDyke had approached a Delhi court seeking permission to prepare his own meals inside Tihar Jail. He reportedly claimed that the prison’s spicy and oily food had made it difficult for him to eat for more than 50 days and resulted in a weight loss of approximately 14 kg since May 6.
He sought permission to use an induction stove and follow an “American-style diet” that included chicken, red meat, fish, pasta, rice, bread, vegetables and soy milk. His family had offered to cover the expenses.
FAMILY RAISES HEALTH AND HUNGER STRIKE CONCERNS
According to the family’s statement, VanDyke began an “only-liquids hunger strike” on May 6 and tried to end it on June 18. The family said a court-approved request permitting humanitarian food was granted on July 21.
However, it alleged that he had still not received an approved mosquito net and kettle and was surviving mainly on oatmeal because other food purchased for him was allegedly not being provided.
“This is a humanitarian emergency for our family,” his mother said in the statement, adding that VanDyke had spent his life documenting human suffering and helping people facing crises.
The family said Sharon VanDyke and family spokesperson Gia Santos travelled to Washington, DC, from June 1 to 3 and again on July 8 and 9 to meet Congressional offices and officials at the US State Department.
VanDyke’s judicial custody has now been extended until September 8, according to the statement.
WHO IS MATTHEW VANDYKE?
Matthew Aaron VanDyke is a Baltimore-born American mercenary, filmmaker and founder of Sons of Liberty International, a non-profit organisation that provides military training and security assistance to armed groups.
A graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, VanDyke spent much of his adult life travelling through conflict zones and taking part in foreign wars.
He became internationally known during the 2011 Libyan Civil War, when he joined rebel forces fighting Muammar Gaddafi’s government. VanDyke was captured by Gaddafi’s forces and held in solitary confinement for nearly six months before fellow prisoners freed him during the fall of Tripoli.
After his release, he returned to the battlefield and continued fighting alongside anti-Gaddafi rebels.
VanDyke later travelled to Syria, where he filmed events and provided advice to rebel groups. In 2014, after Islamic State militants killed American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, he established SOLI.
The organisation describes itself as a non-profit security contractor that provides free training, advice and supplies to forces fighting “terrorist groups and authoritarian regimes.”
He later fought against the Islamic State in Iraq and trained local forces. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, SOLI trained Ukrainian civilians and military personnel, while VanDyke also joined Ukraine’s armed forces.
His experiences in Libya were chronicled in the documentary Point and Shoot, which won Best Documentary Feature at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.
VanDyke has at times been described as a CIA asset, but no publicly available evidence has established a formal relationship between him and the agency. He has also denied working for the CIA.
