WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – Paul Whelan, a 53-year-old American veteran, was arrested in Russia on December 28, 2018 after being accused of spying while he worked as director of global security and investigations for BorgWarner, an automotive parts manufacturer based in Michigan. He was given a sentence of 16 years at a labor camp in the remote province of Mordovia and is currently serving his fifth year. That sentence was handed down three years ago on June 15, 2020.

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Whelan, his family and the U.S. government contend that he’s being wrongfully detained by Russian President Vladimir Putin and they have been fighting for his release ever since.

Just recently, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on HR 377 which calls on the government of the Russian Federation to immediately release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan in addition to expressing continued support for all American citizens and lawful permanent residents detained in Russia and abroad, including Marc Fogel and Vladimir Kara-Murza.

David Whelan, Paul’s twin brother, said about the bill before the vote, “We really appreciate their repeated efforts to make sure this remains top of mind for the President as well as for the Kremlin.” He goes on to say, “We cannot express enough our deep appreciation to Rep. Hayley Stevens and members of the House of Representatives for their advocacy on Paul’s behalf. Rep. Stevens introduced HR 272 calling for Paul to be released, co-sponsored by 44 other members of congress.”

Rep. Michael McCaul spoke about the legislation in Congress yesterday on June 12th saying, “On May 16, Paul reached his 1,600th day of illegally being held hostage in the Russian Federation for a crime he did not commit. See, Mr. Speaker, Paul is innocent…This resolution shows we have not forgotten and we will not forget Paul and we will keep advocating for his immediate release…I strongly urge my colleagues to support this Resolution so Paul and his family know that the United States Congress stands with them, with one voice, Republican and Democrat, Chairman and Ranking Member, and will do everything in our power to make sure that Paul is returned safely to his home and to his family.”

David continued to say about the support to release his brother, “Ranking Member Meeks noted that this is the third resolution Rep. Stevens has introduced since Paul was taken hostage by the Kremlin in December 2018. We are so grateful to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair McCaul and Ranking Member Meeks, and Rep. Stevens and Rep. French Hill for making such clear and unwavering statements of support for Paul and seeking his freedom. We look forward to the House passing the Resolution.”

The legislation had bipartisan support and passed unanimously 422-0 on June 13th.

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The Whelan family also expects the House to vote on HR 272 soon which was introduced in March. This resolution calls on the government of the Russian Federation to immediately release United States citizen Paul Whelan and to “comply with international treaty obligations and provide unrestricted consular access to Paul Whelan while he remains imprisoned in the Russian Federation.”

The resolution also “calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to provide Paul Whelan and all other political prisoners their constitutionally afforded due process rights and universally recognized human rights.”

This resolution was introduced by Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) who has long been a champion of the release of Whelan. It has much support from the Michigan delegation and among the co-sponsors, includes Reps. Walberg, Dingell, Kildee, Moolenar, McClain, Tlaib, Thanedar, Slotkin, Bergman, Huizenga, James, Scholten.

The Whelan family has released a statement on the interference of Russia with Paul’s ability to make contact with his family and the U.S. government. In the statement, Paul’s brother David says, “The IK-17 prison staff are interfering with Paul calling home and US Embassy staff. (Details: He was prohibited calls May 31-June 3, then allowed calls June 4-5, and then denied calls until June 8, and it’s been sporadic since). Prison staff are requiring him to make a request every day and it has to be approved each day. Some days there is ‘no one’ available to approve the requests. Paul is required to make all calls from the Administration building, even though there is a phone in the barracks that other prisoners use for calls within Russia. Paul spoke with a Deputy Warden on June 7 or 8 and he confirmed that Paul could call the US Embassy and our parents but it has not made calls more consistent.”

The statement continues, “A few weeks back, after the Canadian Embassy staff visited, prison staff had represented to Paul he could call ‘any time’ since Embassy staff are not always available at the 8pm-9pm calling time. But that appears to no longer be possible. The Prosecutor from Mordovia has visited IK-17 and was expected to visit again with a translator.  Paul told our parents that many prisoners – he thinks it was more than 100 – have filed complaints.  Other prisoners’ belongings have been damaged, including personal religious items (Qurans, prayer mats and shawls), in the same manner as the Deputy Warden trampled Paul’s belongings. Paul said the head prosecutor and assistant prosecutor both visited the prison and toured it (6/1/2023). Paul said he has not heard from the lawyers who represented him at trial for two years or more.”

David concludes the statement by saying, “We appreciate the Prosecutor of Mordovia’s office looking into the prison staff violating regulations.  Hopefully we will see the Warden and his deputies resume following Russian law. Unfortunately, whether they do or do not, Paul will continue to suffer the injustice of being a Russian hostage. We appreciate Congress’ sustained support and advocacy, showing the Kremlin that there is unwavering support for Paul’s freedom.”