The family of American Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia for years, says 'his resilience is shaken' in the wake of Russia's arrest of a second American on espionage charges.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine accused of spying and arrested in Russia, stands inside a defendants' cage during a hearing at a court in Moscow, Aug. 23, 2019.The family of American Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia for years, said Monday he feels "abandoned" by the U.S. and that "his resilience is shaken" in the wake of Russia's arrest of a second American on espionage charges.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine accused of spying and arrested in Russia, stands inside a defendants' cage during a hearing at a court in Moscow, Aug. 23, 2019.Last month's arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has brought renewed calls from U.S. officials for Russia to release Whelan.
The U.S. government has designated both Whelan and Gershkovich as "wrongfully detained," allowing additional resources to be applied to their cases.But the reaction to Gershkovich's detention has also shown how the backing of a large media organization – the Wall Street Journal -- can place more attention on a case -- and more pressure on the White House.
"We will continue to pursue every avenue to secure his release until his is returned to his family," the official said. "As we have said before, the United States has put forward a serious proposal to Russia – Russia should take it. Bringing Paul home is important to the president. We have said that publicly repeatedly, and the private work on his case continues."
Reed had been held for two years and was released in exchange for a Russian drug trafficker. He was freed less than a month after his parents"There is no favoritism – we work every case – those that are widely publicized and cases that go largely unreported on," the administration official said. "We will continue to throw everything we have at securing Paul’s release. We can work multiple cases at the same time.
Blinken has repeatedly urged Russia to accept the agreement, but Moscow has broadcast little interest and there is no indication that that the administration has made any attempts to enhance the deal.
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