Biden is urged by Paul Whelan to handle the situation as "he would do if his own son were being held hostage
Marking another holiday in Russian detention, Paul Whelan urged President Joe Biden to take up his case on Thursday, saying that it would be what "he would do if his own son were being held hostage.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, he stated, "I would hope that the president truly makes my case truly a top priority and leverages the resources available to him in the way he would act in the event that his own son was in danger.
"While celebrating another year of independence, the US should keep in mind that several of its people are being held captive by rogue regimes who wish to exact a ransom from the US government. These unjustified detentions cast doubt on the principles of liberty and freedom. In any case, Whelan stated, they should not be allowed. "I have been held captive by the Russian government for over five and a half years on the false pretense of espionage, and I am subjected to human rights violations and slave labor six days a week."
Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 on espionage allegations that he has adamantly denied. The US State Department has announced that Whelan was illegally detained.
“Whelan described spending an additional Fourth of July in a Russian prison as "surreal" to CNN."
"You try not to commemorate every holiday you miss because you kind of get used to these holidays passing by. It's difficult, though, because this specific day would have parades, music, firecrackers, and concerts on the White House lawn. There are a lot of things that I would have watched on TV, attended in person, or engaged in with friends and family," he stated.
Hence, it's more than just a holiday passing by—I'm missing my life—as well as my family, friends, dog, and other things that we take for granted. It's not like they have hot dogs here, you know. Hot dogs aren't present. It's absurd. fireworks. It's been years since I've seen fireworks. I miss the simple things in our existence," Whelan went on.
"It's tiresome sometimes but the things that keep me going are the fact that these people in the government are working towards my freedom, that my family and friends are supporting me, and that people like you are willing to listen to what I have to say," Whelan told CNN over the phone from his isolated prison camp in Mordovia.
In addition, he expressed gratitude to "members of Congress from both parties" and "the tireless folks in a myriad of government agencies that know my name oh so well" for their support of his return home.
