World

Brittney Griner’s Release Puts a Spotlight on Paul Whelan


The release of Brittney Griner, the American basketball star imprisoned in Russia, on Thursday, also made headlines. Paul Whelan, another American imprisoned in this country and President Biden said the administration is continuing to work to free him.

Officials say Griner was released after Biden agreed to exchange it for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the “Death Merchant,” who is serving time in prison in the United States.

The Biden administration views Mr. Whelan as the equivalent of a political hostage, a view that administration also holds towards Ms. Griner.

“We have not forgotten Paul Whelan, who was unjustly detained in Russia for many years,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Thursday. “We will continue to negotiate in good faith for Paul’s release. I guarantee that. I tell that to my family.

Mr. Whelan, a former Marine turned a corporate security director, was arrested at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 and charged with espionage. He was convicted in June 2020 on espionage charges that the US government says were fabricated.

Consular officials from the US Embassy in Moscow spoke with Whelan last week, according to State Department spokesman Ned Price. Mr. Price said securing the release of the two Americans was “something we’ve been working on consistently through every channel available.”

Mr. Price said Mr. Whelan told consular officials of the US Embassy in Moscow that he was transferred to the prison hospital on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, but was returned on Friday. for the penal colony where he was serving his sentence. .

“There is no greater success than the release of a wrongfully detained person and their return home,” Whelan’s brother David wrote in an email to The New York Times. “The Biden administration made the right decision to bring Mrs. Griner home and make a workable deal, rather than waiting for a deal that won’t happen.”

Tensions between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine have complicated efforts to secure his release.

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button