LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Wednesday marks Paul Whelan’s 1811th day of captivity in a Russian prison. Whelan, a 53-year-old former active duty U.S. Marine and a corporate security executive from Michigan, is designated by the State Department as being “wrongfully detained.” He has been behind bars in a Russian prison since the end of 2018, serving a 16-year sentence for spying – a charge that the U.S. government argues is without merit. His twin brother, David, refers to Paul as a “hostage” of Russia and keeps in contact with the media about Paul’s detainment.
In a recent email, David reports that Paul spoke to their parents on Thursday, December 7th, and released the following statement, “A year has passed since the last prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia, a trade that left me behind for a second time. I sit here, an innocent man, for nearly five years while my life is bartered for in a diplomatic dispute that involves me only because I’m an American citizen. That is the only crime I have committed in Russia: being an American.”
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Whelan goes on to say, “The fake espionage case, amateurish as it was, has been debunked for years. Russia holds me for a king’s ransom, constantly asking for more and more for the life of a tourist wrongfully detained. My parents are quite elderly, and I have given up hope of seeing them again. Friends have moved on, relatives have passed away, as has my long suffering golden retriever Flora, who for 15 years and four days eagerly awaited my return home.*
Whelan continues, “The Russians have ruined my life. One that is destined to end in a slave labor camp, fraught with intolerable conditions for no reason other than a hatred of human rights and freedoms. I have been denied medical care that resulted in emergency surgery. Two prison officials were disciplined for misconduct towards me. I was recently assaulted by a prisoner for no reason other than being an American citizen. The unconscionable act of leaving me behind twice now has devalued my life in these people’s minds. The Russian government does nothing to ensure my safety. What will happen next? I remember a sense of shock when a young American citizen was left to die in North Korea by an administration that did not do enough to get him home. Now I am living that nightmare.*
Whelan blames Biden and and his administration for not doing enough to secure his release by saying, “For nearly five years, I’ve been told that my release was a priority. I was told that everyone was doing everything they could to secure my release. In my mind, that has not been done at all. I’ve been promised that the United States is coming for me. I hope that happens before it’s too late. Russia holds an innocent man in a country that does not honor the rule of law.”
Whelan continues, “This game of diplomatic niceties and pleasant dialog needs to end. The White House, National Security Council and Department of State must take decisive action to secure my release. President Biden, I have paid a high price for being an American citizen. A promise is a promise. The clock is ticking on getting this done. Please bring me home.”
For their part, the Biden administration reports to CNN that they offered a trade with Russia recently – a large number of Russian nationals detained on espionage charges abroad in exchange for Russia releasing Paul Whelan and imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia since March. The offer was rejected last week.
Paul’s brother David is not impressed with what the Biden administration has done to get his brother released either. He said about recent developments, “If Paul’s case was truly a top priority, you would think the White House would be moving mountains to secure his freedom. But they aren’t. It has taken nearly twelve months for the U.S. to gather its resources and make a singular offer for Paul’s freedom. The offer was rejected. And we are once again back at square one, no further ahead than we were back on December 28, 2018. If there remain any stones to unturn, now is the time to uncover them.”
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Although President Biden has said “I’m not walking away” from Paul’s case and “We ain’t giving up,” David Whelan says that years are flowing by and out of Paul’s life as he sits in the prison waiting for the glut of words to mean something. With White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby saying that the president was “willing to make the difficult decisions” to bring Paul home, David says it’s time for the president to make those difficult decisions just as he did last year and has in other hostage cases.
David also says that his sister, Elizabeth, asked for a meeting with President Biden in August and was brushed off. Scheduling a meeting with a family member of Paul’s, David says it would go a long way to reassure the family that President Biden will keep his promise to Paul and bring him home to his family.
