DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Paul Whelan’s Family Says He Was Attacked in Russian Prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Edward Wong | More About Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The family of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia, said Wednesday that he had been attacked by a fellow prisoner in the labor camp where he has been serving a 16-year sentence on what the United States says are fabricated charges of espionage. Mr. Whelan told his family in a phone call that he had been working on a production line at the prison on Tuesday when another prisoner hit him in the face, according to a statement from David Whelan, Paul’s brother. The assailant then tried to hit him again, he told his family, but he “stood up to block the second hit,” and other prisoners helped intervene. Mr. Whelan described the attack as “relatively minor,” the statement said, but was afraid that such attacks could occur at any time and escalate into more serious ones, given “various sharp implements” available in the prison workshops. “Paul is a target because he is an American, and anti-American sentiment is not uncommon among the other prisoners,” the family’s statement said.

Persons: Paul Whelan, Whelan, David Whelan, Paul’s, “, “ Paul Locations: Russia, United States, American

CNN —Rare new video has emerged showing detained American Paul Whelan, who has been held in Russia for more than four years, inside his prison camp. The video, released by Russian state-controlled news agency Russia Today (RT), shows Whelan wearing a Russian prison uniform in different parts of the prison, with shots of him using a sewing machine and eating in a cafeteria. The former United States Marine was sentenced to 16 years in prison on an espionage charge he vehemently denies. Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Whelan, who the US government deems wrongfully detained, according to a source familiar with the call. The Biden administration has put forth proposals for Whelan’s release, but Russia has not responded in a substantive way, two administration officials told CNN.

Persons: Paul Whelan, Whelan, ” Whelan –, –, “, ”, I’m, David Whelan, David, Paul, ” David, Antony Blinken, Trevor Reed, Brittney Griner, Biden, Evan Gershkovich Organizations: CNN, Russia, United States Marine, ”, RT, Wall Street Locations: Russia, Russian, Irish, Moscow

☆ Jailed US citizen Paul Whelan seen in rare video at Russian penal colony
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained and accused of espionage, stands inside a defendants' cage during his verdict hearing in Moscow, Russia June 15, 2020. Arrested in 2018 in Russia, Whelan was convicted of spying charges in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony in Mordovia, a Russian region notorious since Soviet times for its penal colonies. "Today was the first time I've seen what he really looks like since June 2020," his brother David Whelan said in an email. He said the Russia Today had showed up in the prison in May to film Whelan and when he declined to participate, the prison staff retaliated against him. In the video, Whelan tells the questioner that he will not answer his questions.

Persons: U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Maxim, Paul Whelan, Whelan, Biden, David Whelan, Trevor Reed, Konstantin Yaroshenko, Washington, Brittney, Viktor Bout, Antony Blinken, Evan Gershkovich, Humeyra Pamuk, Josie Kao Organizations: U.S . Marine, REUTERS, Rights, Kremlin, Russia, Wall Street, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, United States, Mordovia, Russian, American, Ukraine, U.S, Yekaterinburg, Gershkovich

☆ Paul Whelan: US ambassador to Russia visits detained American
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy visited Paul Whelan on Thursday – her first visit to the wrongfully detained American since taking up the post in Moscow. “Today, Ambassador Tracy visited #PaulWhelan at IK17 prison in Mordovia,” the US Embassy in Moscow posted on Twitter. “Paul has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than 4 years, and his release remains an absolute priority,” the post said. The US government was unable to secure Whelan’s release last year when they brought home two other wrongfully detained Americans: Trevor Reed in April and Brittney Griner in December. Whelan is one of two Americans still in Russia who has been designated as wrongfully detained.

☆ Analysis: Russia's arrest of reporter deepens Biden's detainee challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/4] Reporter for U.S. newspaper The Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, leaves a court building in Moscow, Russia March 30, 2023. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a news briefing on Thursday the Whelan and Gershkovich cases should not be compared. Russia's security service has, without providing evidence, accused Gershkovich of gathering information classified as a state secret about a military factory. Biden on Friday called on Russia to release Gershkovich. The Biden administration has secured the release of at least 25 "wrongfully detained" Americans.

☆ The twin brother of Paul Whelan said Trump was 'not interested' in cases of wrongfully detained Americans: 'Biden administration is much more engaged'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Taylor Ardrey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Paul Whelan's brother says Trump was not "interested" in his brother's detainment in Russia. David Whelan told MSNBC that Biden is "more engaged in wrongful detentions." Following the news of the prison swap, Trump criticized Biden for exchanging "a basketball player who openly hates our country," referring to Griner, and questioned why Paul Whelan was not included. In an Instagram post on Saturday thanking the Biden administration and others for her wife's release, Cherelle Griner called for the release of Paul Whelan as well as other Americans detained abroad. During the interview with MSNBC, David Whelan said that his brother was " tremendously disappointed" when he learned he wasn't coming home.

☆ 'We're going to get you': White House official says he told Paul Whelan, who is still detained in Russia, to 'keep the faith' as the Biden administration works on his release
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Taylor Ardrey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A White House official said he spoke to Paul Whelan after WNBA player Brittney Griner was released. During a Sunday interview with CNN, Roger Carstens said he told Whelan to "keep the faith." Whelan was not included in the prison swap that included Griner and arms dealer Viktor Bout. "I said, 'Paul, you have the commitment of this president, the president's focus, the secretary of state's focus, I'm certainly focused, and we're going to bring you home,'" Carstens told Dana Bash. His twin, David Whelan, told CNN he was "glad" that Griner was free and said the White House "made the right decision."

☆ The brother of the ex-US Marine jailed in Russia slams Donald Trump for exploiting his imprisonment to attack President Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The brother of Paul Whelan, the ex-US Marine imprisoned in Russia, slammed Donald Trump. Trump criticized the Biden administration for the prisoner swap for Brittney Griner that didn't include Whelan. David Whelan said that Trump never mentioned his imprisoned brother during his presidency. Trump's former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, revealed on Friday that the Trump administration had the opportunity to swap Whelan for Bout in 2018 but chose not to. In his posts on Truth Social, Trump questioned why the Biden administration arranged the swap for Griner, who he said "openly hates our country," while not including Whelan.

WNBA star Brittney Griner arrived back in the United States early Friday after being freed from Russian custody, bringing a nearly yearlong ordeal to an end. Eric Gay / APIn earlier video, Russian media had showed Griner crossing paths with Bout after walking off a Russian plane in Abu Dhabi, where she was met by a U.S. official during the exchange. President Joe Biden, who said he approved the deal that saw Griner freed, said Thursday that she had been "held under intolerable circumstances." In a written statement Thursday night, the Griner family thanked Biden, his administration and others for their efforts. Whelan’s family said they had been told by the Biden administration in advance that he would not be part of the prisoner swap Thursday that freed Griner.

Washington CNN —The Biden administration believes the Russian government will continue to engage on detainee issues, including freeing American Paul Whelan, following the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner because “they have things they want in this world,” a senior administration official told CNN. Moscow knows that ultimately the two sides will reach “a mutually acceptable arrangement if they keep talking to us,” the official continued. “It’s clear that the US government has no concessions that the Russian government will take for Paul Whelan. The official didn’t count out the US offering a Russian spy in US custody as a potential offer to Russia. “There is a willingness to pay even a very big price on the part of this President,” the official said.

Biden had been hopeful that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be more apt to free Griner once America’s midterm elections were done, a calculation that proved correct. Still detained in Russia is Paul Whelan, a businessman whom the White House has also been working to free without success. In a 2012 interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” when he was vice president, Biden came out in favor of same-sex marriage, and he is expected to sign the measure into law. White House officials acknowledged the headwinds and worried that the midterm elections would be a repudiation of Biden’s record. “When I look at what the Biden White House has done, I think experience and patience really paid off,” said Jennifer Palmieri, who served as White House communications director during the Obama administration.

And a catastrophe for Paul," David Whelan said. The Whelan family was similarly frustrated in April, when another former Marine held in Russia, Trevor Reed, was released in a prisoner exchange. David Whelan said that at the time, they were not warned that his brother was not included in the swap. "Paul Whelan has been let down and left behind at least three times by 2 Presidents," the group said in a statement. David Whelan added that his parents are in their 80s, and it will be another Christmas without their son since he was detained four years ago.

☆ Biden administration brings WNBA star Brittany Griner home for the holidays after 10 months in Russian custody
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration is bringing WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for 10 months, home for the holidays after months of negotiation. "She is safe, she is on a plane, she is on her way home," U.S. President Joe Biden announced Thursday. Cherelle Griner was present and able to speak with Brittney when Biden made the call from the Oval Office. Notably absent from the swap was another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan, who has been in Russian custody since 2018. "We've not forgotten about Paul Whelan," Biden said.

☆ Paul Whelan's continued detention in Russia a 'catastrophe,' family says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan stands inside a defendants' cage during his verdict hearing in Moscow, Russia June 15, 2020. And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul's release, we are not giving up. Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, is serving 16 years in the Russian region of Mordovia on charges of espionage, which he denies. "So a basketball star is released, we can celebrate, but what about Paul Whelan? "We'll keep negotiating in good faith for Paul's release.

☆ U.S. detainee Whelan phones family after week of silence in Russia -statement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - American detainee Paul Whelan phoned his parents from Russia early on Friday, his brother said, the first contact since last week that occurred after the White House expressed deep concern. Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine detained in Russia since 2018 and convicted on espionage charges in 2020, had been transferred to the hospital prison, his brother, David Whelan, said in a statement. On Wednesdsay, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the United States was "deeply concerned" about why they had not been able to get information on Whelan's whereabouts or condition from Moscow. Kirby addressed the issue after Whelan's family said this week that they had not heard from Paul since Nov. 23, but had seen reports he had been moved to the prison hospital. Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Family concerned about whereabouts of Whelan, American jailed in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The brother of Paul Whelan, an American jailed in Russia, said on Tuesday his family is concerned about his whereabouts after not hearing from him for days and unclear messages from the prison staff that he was moved to the prison hospital. David Whelan, the brother of Paul, said that the family does not definitely know where Paul is. David Whelan added that when transferred to the prison's hospital in the past, Paul had always mentioned the move in his phone calls. David Whelan said in an emailed statement, adding that Paul appeared healthy and well to the diplomats. David Whelan said that the family has not been in contact with the White House, just with the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the State Department.

☆ U.S. deeply concerned about Whelan, American jailed in Russia -White House
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Doina Chiacu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The United States is "deeply concerned" about detained American Paul Whelan in Russia, and has not been able to get information from Moscow on his whereabouts or condition, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday. U.S. diplomats in Moscow were working to get details on what was going on with Whelan, Kirby said. "But yes, we are deeply concerned about the lack of information and the lack of contact from Paul," he added. It's highly unusual," David Whelan said. When transferred to the prison's hospital in the past, his brother had always mentioned the move in his phone calls, David Whelan said.

Summary Griner faces penal colony after losing drugs appealIn Russian system, inmates made to work long hours for scant payThreat of harsh punishment for breaking trivial rulesLanguage barrier makes ordeal even harder for foreignersLONDON, Nov 3, (Reuters) - Tedious manual work, poor hygiene and lack of access to medical care - such are the conditions awaiting U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner in a Russian penal colony after she lost her appeal last week against a nine-year drug sentence. The first thing to understand, Alyokhina said in an interview, is that a penal colony is no ordinary prison. The quite cynical thing about this work is that prisoners usually sew police uniforms and uniforms for the Russian army, almost without salary." A more recent penal colony detainee, Yelena, described a similar regime to that experienced by Alyokhina a decade ago. LANGUAGE BARRIERFor a foreigner with little or no Russian, it's harder to navigate the system and deal with the isolation.

Search resuls for: "David Whelan"

18 mentions found