US marks anniversary of Paul Whelan's detention in Russia
The Biden administration is marking the four-year anniversary of the detention in Russia of American businessman Paul Whelan
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is marking the four-year anniversary of the detention in Russia of American businessman Paul Whelan, whose continued imprisonment is one of several major irritants in tattered relations between Washington and Moscow.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday that securing Whelan’s release remains a top administration priority.
U.S. officials had hoped to include Whelan in a prisoner swap earlier this month in which they traded detained WNBA star Brittney Griner for a convicted Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout. The administration considers Whelan, like Griner, to have been wrongfully detained.
Blinken said Whelan and his family are “suffering through an unfathomable ordeal" and he again condemned the American's conviction, which was based on secret evidence, and 16-year prison sentence.
