Biden secures release of Michigan Marine veteran held captive by Russia

Paul Whelan, a Michigan resident and former U.S. Marine, is free after a harrowing five years in a Russian prison.

Whelan was released on Aug. 1 after President Joe Biden’s administration negotiated a prisoner swap with Russia. The negotiations involved six countries and led to the release of 24 people in total.

Two other American citizens and one legal permanent resident were released as part of the deal: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, and human rights activist Vladimir Kara-Murza.

“Today, we celebrate the return of Paul, Evan, Alsu, and Vladimir and rejoice with their families,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “We remember all those still wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world. And reaffirm our pledge to their families: We see you. We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong.”

Whelan, 54, was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and accused of being a U.S. spy — something Whelan has denied since the day of his arrest. In 2020, Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Biden and his administration had been working to get Whelan home since Biden took office in 2021, and has now successfully brought home more than 70 Americans who were detained abroad, the Associated Press reported.

When Whelan was not part of a separate prisoner swap in December 2022 that led to the release of American professional basketball player Brittney Griner, Biden said he was still working to secure Whelan’s release.

“We never forgot about Brittney. And we’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan, who has been unjustly detained in Russia for years,” Biden said in a speech from the Roosevelt Room at the White House. “This was not a choice of which American to bring home. We brought home Trevor Reed when we had a chance earlier this year. 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.”

Whelan’s family thanked Biden and members of his administration, as well as members of Congress such as Michigan Democratic Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow and Reps. Debbie Dingell, Dan Kildee, Andy Levin, and Elissa Slotkin, for helping secure Whelan’s release.

“We are thankful for their unswerving support from the very beginning,” Whelan’s family wrote in a statement.

Whelan’s brother criticized former President Donald Trump in 2022 after Griner was released.

“I think the first two years, partly I think the Trump administration was not prepared to or not interested in working on wrongful detention cases,” David Whelan, Paul Whelan’s brother, told MSNBC, according to The Hill.

“The Biden administration is much more engaged in wrongful detentions,” he added.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the prisoner swap had been in the works for weeks, with Biden working out details an hour before he announced he was dropping his reelection bid for president. 

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who represents Whelan in Congress, celebrated Whelan’s release. 

“Paul, after more than five years, we finally get to say, welcome home,” Stevens said in a statement.

She added, “Thank you, President Biden, for your leadership to get this done. Thank you to all who believed in Paul, to my colleagues and everyone in Michigan who never forgot our neighbor. Justice has prevailed and today, an innocent man is free. God Bless America.”

Also included in the prisoner swap was Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who on July 19 was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison for similarly false allegations of being an American spy. 

Biden denounced Gershkovich’s sentencing, saying in a statement on the day of Gershkovich’s sentencing that “journalism is not a crime.”

“We will continue to stand strong for press freedom in Russia and worldwide, and stand against all those who seek to attack the press or target journalists,” Biden added. “Additionally, since the very first day of my Administration, I have had no higher priority than seeking the release and safe return of Evan, Paul Whelan and all Americans wrongfully detained and held hostage abroad.”