A video of Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan surfaced from Russian-backed state media on Tuesday, exhibiting the American citizen — detained on what the U.S. says are baseless fees — in a penal colony lots of of miles southeast of Moscow.
Whelan has not been seen publicly in additional than three years, based on his household. He was detained in Russia by the Federal Safety Service on spying fees in 2018. He denies the costs, however in 2020 was sentenced to 16 years in jail.
Although the Biden administration considers Whelan “wrongfully detained,” the U.S. has performed two prisoner swaps with Russia for the reason that begin of the struggle in Ukraine, one in all which was for one more Marine Corps veteran, Trevor Reed. Whelan was not included in both prisoner swap regardless of hopes from his household.
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Reuters reported that Russia Immediately, a state-funded propaganda outlet, arrived on the Moldovian penal colony in Could to movie Whelan. A propagandist with Russia Immediately tried to interview the Marine, however he didn’t take part, garnering retaliation from the penal colony overseers, based on Reuters.
“Sir, you perceive after I say that I can not do an interview, which suggests I can not reply any questions,” Whelan stated within the video. The footage confirmed him, carrying an all-black prisoner uniform, working a stitching machine alongside different inmates.
His brother, David Whelan, instructed ABC News that it “was the primary time I’ve seen what he actually appears like since June 2020.”
“He appears to look wholesome when he stares down the digital camera on the finish of the video. You may see his energy, and I believe it is contempt for the Russian propagandists,” David instructed the outlet. “I believe seeing him has helped all of us notice that he is resilient and we have to hold serving to him in order that he comes dwelling.”
In 1994, Whelan enlisted within the Marine Corps Reserve and deployed twice to Iraq. He attained the rank of employees sergeant, however was given a bad-conduct discharge and discount in rank in 2008 after a court-martial discovered him responsible of larceny fees associated to wrongfully utilizing another person’s Social Safety quantity.
Whelan stated that he was in Russia on the time of his arrest to attend a good friend’s wedding ceremony, not for spying, because the Kremlin alleged.
Whelan isn’t the one Marine believed to be imprisoned or held overseas. In 2012, former Marine officer and journalist Austin Tice was captured in Syria. Final yr, President Joe Biden stated that the U.S. knew “with certainty” that Tice is being held by the Syrian authorities.
— Drew F. Lawrence may be reached at drew.lawrence@navy.com. Comply with him on Twitter @df_lawrence.
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