As Griner's release puts a spotlight on Whelan, US working relentlessly to bring him home

The United States administration is continuing to make efforts to bring Paul Whelan back, said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken as he hailed the release of two-time Olympic gold medallist basketball player Brittney Griner. The American basketball player was released in a prison-swap mediated by the Russian government in exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Blinked said that Russia is still unwilling to end the “wrongful” detention of Whelan and was only willing to let the US bring one detainee home. Blinken also expressed his gratitude to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their cooperation as Griner landed there from Moscow. 

The sister of detained Whelan, Elizabeth Whelan spoke with a senior official from the US government on Thursday. She told American news outlet CNN that it was a “good call” and that there was no need for people to be divided over Griner’s release and that the focus should be on the deals that are "purposefully missing the nuance of what happens in negotiations over wrongful detainees." "There should be no American standing against getting home a wrongfully detained American who is being held overseas, because hostile foreign countries are trying to start problems over here. They are trying to create dissension and difficulties. It may be one of the reasons why Brittney was held wrongfully in the first place. So, I would urge everyone to, you know, keep their partisan sniping out of it," she added. She said that her brother did not know the extent of efforts taking place to free him because calls with him were essentially monitored by Russian agencies and any sensitive information could not be shared. 

Biden is yet to speak to the Whelan family to an extent, said the White House press briefing, adding that he “will speak with them later or when they are ready to have that conversation, understanding — and the President said this as well — how difficult of a moment this is for the Whelan family.”  The White House said that the Russians were not willing to negotiate in “good faith” for the release of Whelan at this time and in order to increase the chances for success, they would not discuss more about the negotiations. US Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, addressing questions whether these negotiations could lead to a direct communication with Russia about the Ukraine conflict, answered that the commitment the US has made to Ukraine was not going to change. 

Who is Paul Whelan and why is he detained in Russia?

Paul Whelan is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia at a penal colony in the remote Mordovia region, east of Moscow. It has been almost four years since Whelan has been detained on charges that the White House has described as “totally illegitimate”. Whelan was arrested on December 28 in 2018 by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in a room of Moscow’s Metropol Hotel which is situated near the Kremlin.

Russian investigators claimed that Whelan was a senior spy for the military intelligence in the US. Whelan was caught “red-handed” with a flash drive containing classified information, alleged Kremlin. Defending himself, Wheland said that he had been given the flash drive in a sting by a Russian and thought that it contained holiday photos as he was in Moscow for a friend’s wedding. 

During the time of his arrest, Whelan was head of global security for a US-based car parts supplier. In a trial held behind closed doors, Whelan was convicted of spying in 2020 and was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum security prison. He requested that he be allowed to serve his sentence in the US, but the Russian court rejected the request. 

Having served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from 2003 to 2008, Whelan worked on the administrative branch situated in Iraq. He was dishonourably discharged from his duties after being found that he tried to steal US$ 10,000 leading him to be charged with larceny. Whelan, born in Canada to British parents of Irish origin, he moved to Michigan state in the US and currently holds the nationality of four countries.