U.S. officials reiterated their commitment to bringing Paul Whelan home on Wednesday, the fourth anniversary of his detention in Russia, where he has been serving a 16-year prison sentence on espionage charges that the American government says are a sham.
Mr. Whelan, 52, has been “suffering through an unfathomable ordeal,” Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in a statement, adding that “our efforts to secure Paul’s release will not cease until he is back home with his family where he belongs.”
Today marks a terrible milestone for Paul Whelan: Four years wrongfully detained in Russia, following a secret trial with secret evidence. His detention remains unacceptable, and we continue to press for his immediate release at every opportunity.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 28, 2022
Mr. Whelan, a corporate security executive and a former U.S. Marine, was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and accused of spying. Russian officials rejected efforts to include him in the prisoner swap that freed the American basketball star Brittney Griner from a penal colony and were treating Mr. Whelan’s case differently, Mr. Blinken said earlier this month.
Since she returned home, Ms. Griner and her wife have called on supporters to write letters to Mr. Whelan and advocate for his release. Members of the Whelan family said the Biden administration was right to strike the deal for Ms. Griner’s freedom but have expressed frustration over his continued detention.
The U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said in a statement on Wednesday that the Whelans “showed the entire country the meaning of generosity of spirit in celebrating a fellow American’s return while Russia continues its deplorable treatment of Paul as a bargaining chip.”
Mr. Whelan’s brother, David Whelan, said in an emailed statement that he had struggled to know what to say about the anniversary. “How do you mark such an awful milestone when there is no resolution in sight?” he wrote.
“Another day that our parents have to suffer without being able to see or be with their son,” his statement added, describing their experience as both “awful and mundane.”
The family remains grateful for the U.S. government’s efforts to secure Paul’s release, David Whelan noted, while pointing to a call from Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for the Biden administration to do more.
Today marks four years since American veteran #PaulWhelan was wrongfully detained in #Russia. Four years of missed Christmases, birthdays, family milestones – all while living in horrific conditions. He should be released and the Biden Admin must do more to bring him home.
— Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member (@SenateForeign) December 28, 2022
The White House has faced criticism from Mr. Risch and other Republicans for failing to secure Mr. Whelan’s release alongside Ms. Griner’s, as well as criticism from relatives of other Americans detained around the world.
A State Department official declined to say earlier this month how many Americans remain imprisoned in Russia. At least one — Marc Fogel, a teacher serving a 14-year sentence for attempting to enter the country with a small amount of medical marijuana — has not been designated by the State Department as “wrongfully detained.”
