considers Gershkovich wrongfully detained. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained in Russia since March on espionage charges the newspaper and U.S. Reed was detained during a trip to Russia in 2019 and accused of attacking a Moscow police officer, which his family denied. Marine veteran Trevor Reed was released in a prisoner swap in April 2022 for jailed pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko. There was initial hope that Whelan could have been freed in that deal as well, but U.S. WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was held in Russia for nearly 10 months last year over possession of less than a gram of hash oil, was released in a prisoner swap last December for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Marine Corps veteran accused of espionage and arrested in Russia in December 2018, stands inside a defendants' cage as he waits to hear his verdict in Moscow on June 15, 2020. "His circumstances are truly unacceptable and we will continue to be very clear about that. "It was reassuring to see that he remains, and this is to use his brother's words, 'unbowed.' Paul continues to show tremendous courage," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. officials have spoken with Whelan in the last several months. The White House said on Tuesday that U.S. was "determined to bring Paul and every other American citizen who is unjustly detained around the world home." Blinken said then that Whelan's detention was one of the topics of their talks, and that the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in March. State Department considers Whelan to be wrongfully detained. It is good to know Paul remains unbowed," David Whelan added. But it was good to see him again and to see the fight remains in his eyes. "I wish I could see Paul under better circumstances. Whelan faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.Īyres is a special is a special correspondent.Europe Russia says talks possible on prisoner swap for detained U.S. Whelan’s lawyer, Zherebenkov, told journalists after the trial that he would try to convince the court that his client did not know what was on the flash drive when he received it. According to Rosbalt’s sources, the flash drive contained the names and information about Russian security officers. Rosbalt, which is believed to have close ties to the Russian security services, reported that investigators arrested Whelan for obtaining a flash drive from a man he met in the Metropol, a landmark hotel in the center of Moscow. He apparently sought out friendships online with Russians, whom he conversed with using the Russian version of Facebook, VKontakte.Īccording to Russian media site Rosbalt, investigators believe Whelan used these contacts to gather intelligence on Russian security officers. Whelan’s interest in the Russian people, language and culture - as his family maintains - may now be playing a role in Russian investigators’ accusations against him. Embassy on Tuesday said the Federal Security Services, the successor agency to the KGB, had postponed a Thursday visitation. Two other embassies - the British and Canadian - also have made requests to visit Whelan at the Lefortovo jail, where he has been held since his arrest. The Irish consular staff visited Whelan on Thursday. Embassy in Russia, including Ambassador Jon Huntsman, visited Whelan shortly after the new year. Adding a confusing element to the case, Whelan, who was born in Canada to British parents, has four passports: U.S., Canadian, British and Irish.
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