More than three years earlier than the WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested at an airport exterior of Moscow for touring with hashish oil in her bag, one other American, retired U.S. Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan, was taken into custody in Russia’s capital metropolis.
At the time, Whelan’s brother stated that he was visiting Russia to attend the marriage of a Marine colleague. He was arrested in December 2018, on espionage costs that the U.S. has stated are false, and sentenced to 16 years in jail following his conviction two summers later. Ahead of the conviction, Whelan was hospitalized and underwent an emergency hernia surgical procedure, his brother stated.
Whelan, now 52, is an American nationwide who additionally holds citizenship in Canada, the place he was born, the United Kingdom and Ireland. He was accused by Russian prosecutors of working for U.S. intelligence, and so they claimed earlier than a court docket in Moscow that he had been caught “red-handed” receiving a flash drive that contained labeled data throughout his journey overseas. After sustaining his innocence all through the authorized proceedings and arguing that he had been framed, Whelan and his protection staff declined to attraction the conviction, saying they hoped his freedom could be secured by the use of a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia.
It has been almost 4 years since Whelan was initially imprisoned, and he has since been transferred to a number of detention facilities throughout Russia, together with the notorious Soviet-era Lefortovo Prison and a distant penal colony the place he’s presently serving his sentence. Despite Whelan and his attorneys’ hopes for a prisoner alternate to win his launch, no such settlement has been reached.
Photo by Anton NovoderezhkinTASS by way of Getty Images
On Thursday, Griner returned house after federal officers efficiently negotiated a prisoner swap for infamous worldwide arms seller Viktor Bout. In April, Trevor Reed, additionally a Marine Corps veteran, was free of Russian custody in alternate for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot and convicted drug smuggler beforehand detained within the U.S.
“We’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan,” stated President Joe Biden, in remarks about Griner’s launch on Thursday, including that U.S. officers “will never give up” on efforts to safe his launch.
David Whelan, Paul Whelan’s brother, praised the Biden administration for reaching a cope with Russia to convey Griner house in an announcement issued after her launch. However, he described his brother’s continued detention as “a catastrophe” and urged the federal authorities to take extra decisive steps towards securing his freedom.
“At some level, our family has steeled ourselves for this likelihood. And I think, as the use of wrongful detentions and hostage diplomacy continues around the globe, it’s clear the U.S. government needs to be more assertive,” David wrote. “If bad actors like Russia are going to grab innocent Americans, the U.S. needs a swifter, more direct response, and to be prepared in advance.”
He famous that, regardless of understanding all alongside that the newest prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia may not embody Paul Whelan, “our family is still devastated,” and added, “I can’t even fathom how Paul will feel when he learns.”
Paul Whelan reportedly instructed Act Daily News on Thursday that he was joyful to listen to of Griner’s launch, however stated he was “greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release, especially as the four-year anniversary of my arrest is coming up.”