Brother of Michigan man detained in Russia reacts to Wall Street Journal reporter’s arrest
Evan Gershkovich and Michigan native Paul Whelan are both detained in Russia on separate charges of espionage.
A van carrying Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich leaves the Lefortovsky court, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 30, 2023.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling on Russia to immediately release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Michigan native Paul Whelan, both held on separate charges of espionage.
But Whelan’s family has begun to worry whether the Biden administration is prioritizing his release.
Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence for allegedly possessing classified secrets, though U.S. officials say he’s been wrongfully detained. Whelan’s brother David Whelan sees charges against his brother similar to the Gershkovich’s.
But David Whelan notes American attempts to free the journalist, after having negotiated the recent release of two other high-profile Americans including WNBA player Brittney Griner, come while his brother remains behind bars for the past four years.
“It means the U.S. government hasn’t really been successful at deterring these cases and also doesn’t seem to have a good sense of the resources that they’re going to use to free Paul,” says David Whelan.
“You can sort of give a little bit of slack when you realize that the cases aren’t the same. But this is an espionage charge. This is a charge exactly the same as what Paul has been going through. And so if there are resources available to bring home an American citizen who has been charged with espionage, I would think that those would apply to Paul’s case.”
State Department officials say Whelan’s release remains an “absolute priority.”
