Whelan told Blinken leaving him in Russian prison made him a 'target'
Former US Marine Paul Whelan has told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that failing to negotiate his release from Russian jail has 'basically signed a death warrant' for him. The 53-year-old political prisoner has been held at the remote IK-17 camp in Mordovia, west Russia, for almost five years - while other US hostages have been freed.
Whelan's ordeal began when he traveled to Moscow for a friend's wedding in 2018. The veteran was arrested for espionage and sentenced to 16 years in jail following a closed trial - but he is recognized as 'wrongfully detained' by the US government. He recently revealed that he expressed strong words to Blinken about the perils he faces as he grows older in the grueling labor camp. 'I told him point blank that leaving me here the first time painted a target on my back and leaving me here the second time basically signed a death warrant,' Whelan told CNN over the phone.
He said he warned Blinken that 'unless they got me back, it could be quite challenging in the future, especially with my age and the sort of work we have to do from a health and safety point of view.' Footage of Whelan was recently released by state-funded channel Russia Today, showing him interacting with other inmates at the maximum-security jail while wearing a prison-issue black cap and jumpsuit. His family, who have not seen him since he was jailed in June 2020, said they were glad to see 'the fight remains in his eyes.'
In his call with CNN, Whelan said he was still hopeful that work was being done to secure his release - but added that he didn't want to be forgotten amid 'other geopolitical issues'. Whelan said he wants to speak with President Joe Biden to 'find out if he will do what he's promised'. He recognized that the Kremlin considers him a 'high value' prisoner - so they 'want something high value in return'. The former Marine - who is also an Irish, British and Canadian citizen - praised Blinken's efforts to negotiate his release, describing him as 'a person who obviously cares and cares deeply about the situation'.
'I think everyone's trying to do the right thing, and I know that this will come to an end at some point. How long it will take I don't know. But I'm being promised that I won't be left behind here,' he said. The US Department of State said Blinken 'remains committed to bringing Paul home', describing his detention as 'outrageous'. 'We offered Russia a serious proposal for Paul's release and will not stop working on his case until he is reunited with his family,' a spokesperson told DailyMail.com. Whelan's frequent appeals to the government via the media have come amid the release of several other US prisoners from Russia within much shorter time frames.
WBNA star Brittney Griner was released in December following a dramatic White House deal that saw the Saudi Crown Prince act as mediator just two days after a US lawsuit holding him responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's murder was dropped. Biden's administration traded 'Merchant of Death' arms dealer Viktor Bout to Russia, who was jailed for selling weapons to US adversaries around the world, in exchange for Griner's return. The two-time Olympic gold medalist had been facing nine years toiling in sweatshop conditions in Moscow after she was detained in February 2022 for allegedly entering Russia with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
She had been at a detention center near Moscow until November 4, when she was moved to the IK-2 facility in Yavas. Another former US Marine detained in Russia, Trevor Reed, was also released from captivity in April 2022 during a prisoner swap with Russian smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was sentenced to 20 years in Connecticut. Reed was incarcerated for intoxication while he was on a trip to the country with his Russian girlfriend Alina Tsybulnik in August 2019. Russian authorities took the former Marine to jail to sober up and he was later sentenced to nine years for assaulting and endangering two police officers' lives, officials claimed.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich also remains behind bars in Russia after he was detained in March 2023 while on a work trip to the city of Yekaterinburg, about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) east of Moscow. He has been held in jail since on espionage charges, which can be punished by up to 20 years in prison. Weeks ago, a Moscow court declined to hear his appeal for release, citing a procedural violation and returning the case to a lower court. Read the full story:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12666171/Paul-Whelan-Blinken-Russian-prison-target-Moscow-Marine.html?ito=msngallery
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