Evan Gershkovich (left) and Paul Whelan are both detained in Russia on “espionage” charges. (Screenshot)

by Marsha Chartrand

On March 30, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia on charges of “espionage.”

The story was a familiar one to the family of Paul Whelan. Since Paul’s arrest in December 2018, former Marine Trevor Reed, who had been detained in Russia for 985 days, was released in a prisoner exchange in April 2022, and WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was arrested on drug charges in February 2022, was released from custody on December 8 in a second prisoner swap with the United States.

Through it all, Paul and his family continue to wait.

On March 31, Paul’s twin brother, David Whelan, released the family’s statement regarding Gershkovich’s arrest:

“Our family is sorry to hear that another American family will have to experience the same trauma that we have had to endure for the past 1,553 days,” he wrote. “While Paul did not have the benefit of the State Department’s travel advisory warning that Russia takes American hostages, it sounds as though the frame-up of Mr. Gershkovich was the same as it was in Paul’s case. …

“Unfortunately, the White House does not seem to have found a way to resolve cases like Paul’s, where an American is falsely charged with espionage by the Kremlin. It has been two years since President Biden signed his Executive Order to enable the US to ‘redouble its efforts at home and with partners abroad to deter these practices.’ The State Department has said these cases are a ‘vital priority’ and justice for American citizens ‘is the highest priority.’ President Biden has said he ‘won’t give up’ to secure Paul’s release.”

David Whelan’s statement continues, “Paul has spent over 51 months trying to survive until those intentions become actions. I have started to wonder whether Paul’s case really is a priority. Paul has been left behind twice and, while it meant other Americans were freed, it also meant that the U.S. government used resources that it can no longer use in future cases.”

Interviewed on the Amara Walker morning program on CNN April 1, Paul’s sister, Elizabeth, noted that Paul’s regular phone calls to his parents in Manchester had been suspended again. She speculated that it could have something to do with prisoners being recruited for service in the military; she indicated that, previously, Paul had been moved to a “hospital” site, ostensibly so he could not report during his phone calls on what might be happening within the prison. She said that could be what was happening again now, or that there could be another reason. “It is very difficult to anticipate what they (Russians) might be thinking,” she said.

Immediately after Gershkovich’s arrest, a delegation of representatives from Michigan received a classified briefing from the Department of State with an update on Whelan’s wrongful detention. The delegation, including District 6’s own Debbie Dingell and Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11), along with U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, quickly reintroduced a bipartisan resolution calling for Whelan’s immediate release.

“Paul Whelan has been wrongly separated from his family and unjustly imprisoned in Russia for more than four years,” said Congresswoman Dingell. “We are also deeply concerned about the arrest of a Wall Street Journal reporter in Moscow, but our efforts to release Whelan must not be complicated or delayed due to these latest actions by the Russians. With this resolution, and the briefing from the State Department this morning, we reaffirm our commitment to Paul and his loved ones that we remain tireless in our work, alongside the Biden Administration, to end this nightmare and bring him home.”

“In the years since Paul’s unlawful detention by Russia, we have seen Vladimir Putin further isolate himself on the world stage as his government has dissolved into one of lawlessness, leading through threats and violence,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “We must stand up and make it clear that American citizens will not be used as political pawns by Putin. Paul was detained just a few days before I was sworn in as a Member of the United States Congress, on December 28, 2018. This is deeply personal for me and should be for all Americans. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan, bicameral resolution with my fellow Michiganders. We will never tire in our efforts to bring Paul home to Michigan.”

A bipartisan group of Michigan’s Congressional Delegation also support the resolution, including Representatives Jack Bergman (MI-01), John Moolenaar (MI-02), Hillary Scholten (MI-03), Bill Huizenga (MI-04), Elissa Slotkin (MI-07), Dan Kildee (MI-08), Lisa McClain (MI-09), John James (MI-10), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Shri Thanedar (MI-13).

In her CNN interview, Elizabeth Whelan noted that “we are just an ordinary family — we do not have clout from sports conglomerates and media empires. But we will never stop fighting to get Paul home.” She added that the most recent mail delivery made to Paul, just a few weeks ago, included 40 pounds of mail; and said the support he is getting from all across America, from people of every different political “stripe,” is helping to keep his spirits up. “Those letters are worth so much to him,” she said.

David Whelan concluded, “I am grateful for the good intentions and, frankly, for the hard work that I know State and other agency staff have put to try to find a resolution to Paul’s case. It is clear that some people have the will if not the means to bring Paul home. And I recognize that the U.S. government doesn’t have the only say when a hostile government detains American citizens. In particular, no one has to school me on the current state of U.S.-Russia relations. But whatever is being done is clearly not enough. You cannot be partially successful when it comes to the freedom of an American citizen: they are either free or they are not. The Kremlin remains undeterred and American citizens and their families become collateral damage.

“Whatever it takes, I hope the U.S. government moves quickly and decisively so that Paul and Mr. Gershkovich are able to return to their families and loved ones soon. If these cases truly are the highest priority for the U.S. government, I’m confident that will happen.”

To be included in the next 40-pound mail delivery to Paul, send your card or letter to:
American Citizen Services/PNW
Consular Section
5430 Moscow Place
Department of State
Washington, D.C.  20521-5430