Paul Whelan case gets renewed attention under new administration
Paul Whelan’s case, as well as that of others wrongfully detained abroad, has received new attention under the new presidential administration. Photos courtesy Whelan family.
Hopeful news about Paul Whelan, the Novi resident who has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than two years, has come out in the past few weeks since the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
His family, including his parents, Rosemary and Edward Whelan of Manchester, are watching closely to see how events transpire under the new administration.
“President Biden’s administration has at least spoken up publicly and early about Paul’s case and has already started to staff up roles that were vacant before,” said Paul’s brother, David Whelan. “I think this gives us some comfort now that we realize how long it took for the Trump administration to even consider helping Paul, and how little engagement they had with the Russian Federation until Paul had already been imprisoned for over a year.
“It is one thing to say that you are listening and another to make someone feel heard,” he added.
On Feb. 3, the Whelan family participated in Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call with the relatives of American citizens held hostage or retained around the world. It was the family’s first opportunity to speak with a Secretary of State during their entire ordeal, which started on Dec. 28, 2018 after he did not show up for a friend’s wedding in Moscow, which he was there to attend.
Earlier that day, he was given a flash drive, supposedly of “vacation photos,” by a friend he had met in Moscow on previous visits, but immediately after that his hotel room was rushed by FSB agents and he was charged with espionage. A subsequent “sham trial” last June, after he had been detained for nearly 18 months without much opportunity to understand or defend himself against the charges, sentenced him to 16 years of hard labor.
After the phone call, David Whelan said it was “a remarkable experience to see and hear from so many other families in the same situation. The number of participants — the Foley Foundation estimates there are over 40 publicly known cases of American hostages or detainees — seemed to emphasize how widespread hostage diplomacy has become. I felt hope, for Paul and others, that none of these cases were impossible, even though every case is challenging.”
Since that time, despite an illness in early February, from which he has apparently recovered, Paul has been able to speak to his parents by phone, but is having difficulty in contacting the US Embassy. The prison warden has not allowed the Embassy’s number on his “call list,” despite it being Paul’s right to contact them.
On February 16, David posted an update as a follow up to the joint Declaration Against Arbitrary Detentions that was launched by Canada the previous day.
“All four countries of which Paul’s a citizen — the US, UK, Ireland, and Canada — have endorsed the agreement,” he said. “Not surprisingly, the nations that engage in this sort of hostage diplomacy, like the Russian Federation, have not.
“It is a low bar to oppose arbitrary arrest, detention, and sentencing. This opposition shouldn’t need to be put in writing, but we are grateful for Canada’s leadership. By highlighting those who oppose arbitrary detention, it places in shadow those nations that are willing to engage in taking hostages as a diplomatic tool.”
Elizabeth Whelan, Paul’s sister, who has lobbied in Washington as well as on social media for Paul’s release, said last week in an update on the family’s GoFundMe account, “Quite a lot has been going on this past month. I do believe there is some hope on the horizon.”
She mentioned Secretary of State Blinken speaking to Foreign Minister Lavrov about Paul, and also Trevor Reed, another US citizen and former Marine being held in Russia.
“There is no doubt that all efforts are being made to get Paul Whelan home, and that the Biden administration is happy to be vocal about their support,” she said.
On February 1, the National Security Council, led by NSA Jake Sullivan, called on Russia to guarantee consular access for both Whelan and Reed, and “to improve their poor prison conditions.”
New State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, has resumed departmental press conferences, and in the first one, held on Tuesday, February 2, he fielded a question about Paul. Price said in response, “When it comes to Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan, we continue to be seriously concerned over the treatments of American citizens, Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed. Both men traveled to Russia as tourists, were arrested, and were then convicted without credible evidence. We hope Russia will do the right thing and return them to their families in the United States. They have been deprived of their freedom for far too long. We’ll continue to speak out on behalf of those cases.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki echoed those sentiments in a press conference the following day.
Through the GoFundMe account, Elizabeth Whelan indicated that they are able to send funds to the US Embassy in Moscow for Paul’s food and supplies, and also for phone cards so that he can make long distance calls to both the Embassy and to his parents in Manchester. These are the only two numbers he is allowed to call, and his lifeline to everything he knows and misses.
“Let’s hope that these recent hopeful steps bear fruit before too long, and that Paul will be able to come home.”
If you are interested in sending messages of support to Paul, you can write via the State Department (which takes a regular first-class stamp), and they will forward the mail once they get a number of letters.
Paul Whelan
c/o American Citizen Services Unit
Consular Section
5430 Moscow Place
Department of State
Washington, DC 20521-5430
Or, you can write directly to the prison, using the address below (which takes an international stamp, costing $1.20).
Paul in his younger days in Manchester, during a stint with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department.
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