Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan is still in a Russian prison. Here's what you need to know.
was arrested in February after she was stopped by customs officials at a Moscow airport for bringing less than a gram of cannabis oil in vape cartridges into the country.
“This was not a choice of which American to bring home,” Biden said. “… Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s. And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We will never give up.” David Whelan stressed that the Whelan family does not begrudge Griner her freedom and has always understood there was a strong possibility that one might be freed without the other.Russian prisoner swap brings home Brittney Griner; Whelan still imprisoned
Griner’s case captured public attention not only because of her celebrity, but also because she was a black, openly gay woman imprisoned in a country considered hostile to LGBTQ rights – raising concerns about her treatment by Russian authorities. “He deserves better from his government, and our campaign implores President Biden to urgently secure Paul’s immediate return using all tools available.”
David Whelan noted it was the second time this year that the U.S. failed to win Paul Whelan’s release as part of a prisoner exchange.
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