Blinken spoke with Paul Whelan, American detained in Russian prison
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Mr Blinken told Whelan "we’re doing everything we can to bring you home as soon as possible," according to a report.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Wednesday with American citizen Paul Whelan, who is being held in a Russian prison,
Mr Blinken told Whelan to “keep the faith and we’re doing everything we can to bring you home as soon as possible,” the CNN reported, citing a source.
Whelan, a former US Marine, was arrested in 2018, held for 18 months in Lefortovo prison in Moscow and jailed for 16 years in 2020 on spying charges. He has denied the accusations.
The United States has designated Whelan as “wrongfully detained,” a term that effectively says the charges are bogus and the case is politically driven.
The US ambassador to Russia, Ms Lynne Tracy, visited Whelan in May in the prison in eastern Russia where he was being held. Reuters
