The family of Paul Whelan, an American held in Russia for more than four years, says he has learned of the detention of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich and is afraid of being left behind again
His family said Tuesday that a third exchange that didn’t also include Mr. Whelan “would be an unconscionable betrayal.”to be bogus. But it has said that so far, it has been unable to secure an agreement with Russia to release him. Officials have said that they haven’t been choosing between which American to bring home, but instead have faced the option of bringing home a detained American for whom they could reach a deal or bringing home nobody at all.
“We have asked our parents to express to Paul that Elizabeth and I can’t conceive a scenario where the U.S. government conceded anything to the Kremlin for an American’s release that did not include Paul,” David Whelan said.didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the statement, but U.S. officials have said that Paul Whelan’s case remains a priority.
opening a broader U.S. government effort to secure his release. Mr. Gershkovich, 31 years old, was detained last month by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, while he was on a reporting trip in the city of Yekaterinburg and held on an allegation of espionage that The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny.
Where some other detainees have been buoyed by public campaigns to secure their release, often through their employer and colleagues, the effort against Mr. Whelan’s detention—which has spanned two presidential administrations and deteriorating U.S.-Russia relations—has been spearheaded by his family.
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