{"id":2119392,"date":"2023-12-08T04:30:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T09:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-year-after-griners-release-from-russia-whelan-family-pleads-with-biden-bring-paul-home-2\/"},"modified":"2023-12-08T04:32:55","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T09:32:55","slug":"a-year-after-griners-release-from-russia-whelan-family-pleads-with-biden-bring-paul-home-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-year-after-griners-release-from-russia-whelan-family-pleads-with-biden-bring-paul-home-2\/","title":{"rendered":"A year after Griner&#8217;s Russia release, Whelan family begs Biden: &#8216;Bring Paul back"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fa-year-after-griners-release-from-russia-whelan-family-pleads-with-biden-bring-paul-home-2%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2119392&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Former Marine \u200bPaul Whelan&#8217;s Release from Russian Detention Delayed<\/h2>\n<p>It was supposed to be a\u200d moment of \u200dcelebration for\u2064 Paul Whelan&#8217;s family. Exactly one year ago, on Dec. 8, 2022, the Biden administration successfully \u2063secured the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner from a \u200bRussian prison. However,\u2062 as\u2064 Whelan continues to languish \u200din prison on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-year-after-griners-release-from-russia-whelan-family-pleads-with-biden-bring-paul-home\/\" title=\"A year after Griner's Russia release, Whelan family begs Biden: 'Bring Paul back\">disputed espionage charges<\/a>, his family wonders why\u200b they are still waiting.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I thought that after \u2064the\u2062 last exchange, there was an\u2062 awful lot\u200b of press \u2062from the White House, the U.S. government those first days\u200d after Dec. 8 last year, where they \u2063were immediately getting back to work, they were \u2064really going to come up with new ideas, they were immediately going to look for \u200dnew ways to bring Paul home,&#8221; expressed David Whelan, Paul&#8217;s \u200dbrother, in\u2062 an interview with the Washington Examiner. &#8220;And none \u2063of\u200d that really happened.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While the \u200brelease of Griner brought hope for Paul Whelan&#8217;s freedom,\u2063 the reality has been different. Griner was exchanged for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the &#8220;Merchant of Death.&#8221; Bout, who was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and extradited to the United States,\u200b is now serving a 25-year sentence.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the administration&#8217;s assurances\u2062 of continued efforts to \u200dsecure Paul Whelan&#8217;s release, \u2062Russian officials \u2064consider his crimes to be more significant. Whelan\u2064 was arrested in \u2064late 2018 during a wedding trip \u200cto Russia and was sentenced to 16 years in \u200bprison in June \u20622020 on espionage charges, which \u200che vehemently denies.<\/p>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump revealed that he \u200dhad turned down a deal during\u200d his \u2062presidency that \u2063would have secured \u2064Whelan&#8217;s release in \u200bexchange for Bout. In contrast, President \u2063Joe Biden agreed to the Griner swap and \u2064another earlier in the year, both of which\u200d excluded Whelan.<\/p>\n<p>David Whelan\u200d now\u200c appeals to President Biden to fulfill his promise of not abandoning Paul&#8217;s case and to bring him home\u2062 as quickly \u2062as possible. These pleas come in the wake of Russia&#8217;s \u200brejection of a recent proposal that \u2062would\u2064 have secured Paul Whelan&#8217;s release, along with\u2063 that of \u200bWall Street\u200b Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested earlier this year on similar espionage \u200ccharges.<\/p>\n<p>While the details of the rejected proposal\u200c remain undisclosed due to the sensitive nature of \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/russia-confirms-prisoner-exchange-talks-with-u-s-following-wnba-star-brittney-griner-sentencing\/\" title=\"Russia Confirms Prisoner Exchange Talks With U.S. Following WNBA Star Brittney Griner Sentencing\">prisoner swap negotiations<\/a>, the Whelan family&#8217;s frustration grows as they await Paul&#8217;s return. In the meantime, Viktor Bout has won an election \u2063to \u200bserve in a regional legislature in Russia, and\u2064 Brittney\u200c Griner has resumed her basketball career \u2063with \u200dthe Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/paul-whelan-family-biden-russia\">The\u200d Washington Examiner<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What efforts have been made \u200dby the\u200d Whelan family and diplomatic channels to \u200bsecure Paul Whelan&#8217;s release?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ve Whelan, Paul&#8217;s brother, in a \u2062recent interview. The Whelan family had hoped that Paul&#8217;s release would follow Brittney Griner&#8217;s,\u200c as the previous high-level diplomatic engagement had seemingly \u2063paved the way for it. However, despite numerous pleas and efforts,\u2063 Paul Whelan&#8217;s release \u2062from Russian detention has been\u200b delayed indefinitely.<\/p>\n<p>Paul Whelan, a former\u200d Marine, was arrested in \u2062December 2018 while visiting Russia for a friend&#8217;s wedding. He was accused of espionage and has \u2063been held \u2062in\u200c Moscow&#8217;s Lefortovo\u2064 prison ever since. The charges against\u2063 him are dubious, and many experts believe that he is being used as a pawn in Russia&#8217;s\u200c geopolitical strategy. Whelan has repeatedly denied the allegations and maintains his innocence.<\/p>\n<p>His family\u200b has tirelessly advocated for his release \u2063since\u2063 his\u200c arrest,\u2062 hoping that diplomatic channels would prove successful in bringing him home. However, despite meetings between top Russian and American officials, including several between Presidents \u2064Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, no progress has\u2064 been made in securing Whelan&#8217;s freedom.<\/p>\n<p>The delay in Paul Whelan&#8217;s release raises concerns about the effectiveness of \u200dthe diplomatic efforts being made on his behalf. Whelan&#8217;s family has criticized the lack of transparency and urgency from both the Russian and American governments. \u200dThey question why the same level of attention and commitment that was given \u2062to\u2063 securing the release of Brittney Griner has not been extended to Paul Whelan.<\/p>\n<p>The Whelan family&#8217;s frustration is understandable, as they see other high-profile cases resolved while Paul continues \u2063to languish \u2064in\u2064 prison. They\u200b have\u200c demanded an update on the \u200cstatus \u2064of negotiations and an explanation for the delay. The lack of clear communication has\u2064 left them feeling\u2062 helpless and\u200c hopeless.<\/p>\n<p>International human rights \u2062organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch,\u2062 have also raised concerns about Paul Whelan&#8217;s\u200d prolonged\u2063 detention and the questionable\u2064 charges \u200bagainst him. They have called on both the Russian and American governments to prioritize his case and ensure a fair and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judiciary-will-operate-if-government-shuts-down-as-gop-seeks-to-halt-trump-trials\/\" title=\"The judiciary will function during a government shutdown as the GOP aims to stop Trump trials.\">transparent legal process<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It is crucial for the international community\u2063 to join in demanding justice for Paul Whelan. Every individual&#8217;s \u200bhuman rights should be\u2062 respected, and no\u200c one should be unjustly detained. Governments must not\u2064 turn a blind \u200beye but should\u200d actively pursue fairness\u200d and \u2063justice for those who have been wronged.<\/p>\n<p>As the\u200c world watches and waits for further\u2064 developments in Paul Whelan&#8217;s case, it is essential not \u2062to forget the urgency and significance of his plight. His release should be a priority for both \u2062Russia and the United States, reflecting the values\u200c of\u200b justice, fairness, and\u200d human rights \u2064that they claim to \u2062uphold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Marine Paul Whelan, held in Russia since 2018, should have returned home. A year ago, on Dec. 8, 2022, the Biden administration freed WNBA player Brittney Griner after less than a year in a Russian jail for drug offenses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2119393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2119392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2119392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2119392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2119392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2119393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2119392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2119392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2119392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}