Brittney Griner Released, But Why Is Paul Whelan Still Imprisoned in Russia?

Brittney Griner Release, But Why Is Paul Whelan Still Imprisoned in Russia? — Questions about why Paul Whelan, an American who has been imprisoned in Russia for nearly to four years, was left behind come up in the wake of the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday as part of a prisoner exchange. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images

The family of Paul Whelan, a Canadian-born American marine who was detained in a Moscow hotel in 2018 and found guilty of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in jail two years later, had a sorrowful reaction to Brittney Griner's release from a Russian penal colony on Thursday morning.

Paul Whelan called his family from a prison hospital last week. Whelan remains in Russian custody despite the fact that discussions about a potential prisoner swap are still ongoing.

Brittney Griner Released

On Thursday morning, Brittney Griner was freed from Russian jail after being exchanged for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, who was the "most sought man" until his 2008 capture.

Sergei Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister of Russia, said he was "absolutely banking on a favorable ending" with the swap even after Griner was sent to the penal colony in the same region where Whelan was serving his term in mid-November.

As a result of packing vape cartridges with less than one gram of hashish oil, a more potent kind of marijuana, Griner was initially detained in Russian customs last February.

Per Clutch Points, Griner was taken into custody just before she was scheduled to play in the Russian Premier League and was later given a nine-year jail term. In early November, she was transferred from a correctional facility to an unidentified location.

Paul Whelan told CNN that he is "disappointed" that the Biden administration has not done more to achieve his release. Griner's release made Whelan delighted, but he told CNN that he had been "given to think that things were moving in the right manner, that the countries were talking, and that something would happen very soon."

He admitted to being startled to CNN when asked if he was disappointed about not being involved in the agreement for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Whelan expressed his desire for President Joe Biden's staff to "do whatever they could to get me home, regardless of the cost they might have to pay at this time," according to Whelan.

Despite having discussed the situation with an administration official earlier in the day, Whelan said he would like to speak with Biden directly but that "the message really needs to go to people like the president so they understand personally what I'm dealing with and what we deal with in these foreign prisons and under these circumstances."

Whelan noted that he still had 12 years left on his prison sentence and voiced worry that he would not return to the United States. On Thursday, Biden thanked the Whelan family and noted that the Griner prisoner swap "was not a decision of which American to return home."

Paul Whelan's Family Expresses Concern

David Whelan, Paul Whelan's brother, expressed joy with Griner's release but expressed concern for his brother, calling the situation "a catastrophe for Paul" and "a public disappointment for us."

In his remarks at the White House, Biden mentioned that he has spoken to Whelan's family. Days after Whelan's family members claimed they were able to contact him after he became abruptly unavailable in November, news of the prisoner exchange broke.

Whelan's brother, David, said in an emailed statement to the Associated Press that Paul called his parents on December 2, the first time family members had heard from him since November 23.

The family was told Paul Whelan was moved to a prison hospital, but the reason he was at the hospital was unclear. Whelan told family members he was given "special dispensation" to call, indicating he had been prohibited from calling previously, his brother said. Whelan has previously said he has been threatened, abused and unable to access medical care during his imprisonment.

Paul Whelan's family was informed that he had been transferred to a prison hospital, although the reason for this was not made apparent. According to his brother, Whelan claimed to have received "special dispensation" to phone, implying that talking had previously been forbidden. Whelan has previously claimed that while he was being held captive, he had been threatened, mistreated, and denied access to medical treatment, USA Today reported.