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☆ Paul Whelan tells CNN he is 'disappointed' that more has not been done to secure his release
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Washington CNN —Detained American Paul Whelan expressed his frustration that more has not been done to secure his release in an exclusive CNN interview hours after another detained American, Brittney Griner, was freed. It was a choice between bringing home one particular American – Brittney Griner – or bringing home none,” a US senior administration official said Thursday morning. Elizabeth Whelan said she believes the Russians wanted to deny Biden a win by releasing both of the American wrongful detainees. Elizabeth Whelan also told CNN that she does not believe her brother knows the extent of the efforts to free him, noting the family has to be careful what they tell him because they assume the Russian authorities are listening. Asked if he thought he would face repercussions for speaking to CNN, Whelan said he didn’t think so.

☆ Factbox: Paul Whelan, ex-U.S. Marine jailed in Russia on spying charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Here are some facts about Whelan:- Whelan was detained by agents from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in a room in Moscow's Metropol Hotel, near the Kremlin, on Dec. 28, 2018. - Whelan said he had been in Russia for a friend's wedding and had been given the drive in a sting by a Russian friend. - Whelan served with the Marine Corps Reserve from 2003-2008, much of the time as an administrative clerk in Iraq. - At the time of his arrest, Whelan was head of global security for BorgWarner, a Michigan car parts supplier. - Last November, a Russian court rejected his request to be allowed to serve his sentence in the United States.

☆ Saudi Arabia did not mediate in Griner release, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden and Cherelle Griner speak on the phone with WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner after her release by Russia, in this White House handout photo taken in the Oval Office, as Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken look on, at the White House in Washington, U.S. December 8, 2022. The White House/Handout via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The release of basketball star player Brittney Griner was negotiated between the United States and Russia only, the White House said on Thursday, denying a Saudi Arabia statement that it was involved. "The only countries that negotiated this deal were the United States and Russia," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, when asked about Saudi Arabia's role. Griner was exchanged for Viktor Bout, a onetime Russian weapons dealer who had been convicted in the United States and imprisoned for 10 years. “We are also grateful to other countries including Saudi Arabia” that raised the issue of detained Americans with the Russian government, she said.

On the surface, Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout are accused of ludicrously different crimes. Bout’s outsized importance to Russia has always been the bigger puzzle. I have seen videos of Bout in the Congo and across Africa, where he was pretty close to the conflicts there. There were suggestions too that he had served alongside senior Russians who are now close to President Vladimir Putin. This is a man who many ordinary Russians may have heard of, and he certainly is of mythological importance to the Russian elite.

☆ 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.

☆ Factbox: Brittney Griner, U.S. basketball star caught up in Russia crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, stands inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool/File PhotoDec 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. official said on Thursday that U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, who had been jailed in Russia in charges of possessing and smuggling illegal drugs, was now in U.S. custody. Russia said she had been traded for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States. Brittney Griner, 32, is a double Olympic champion and seven-times All-Star player in the U.S. Women's National Basketball Association (WBNA). Known as "BG" to basketball fans, she has played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia during the WNBA winter off-season since 2014.

☆ After Trump Org tax-fraud conviction, will Trump only get a slap on the wrist or could he face new NY charges?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NY law limits the penalties Trump faces to $250K per tax count and $10K per crime. But the conviction could embolden the Manhattan DA's office to pursue more cases against the former president and his company, insiders say. The tax-fraud case against the Trump Organization has been that probe's only indictment to date. That victory — and the apparent willingness of Manhattan residents to hit hard — may embolden the DA's office to go after Trump himself. "He has 500 subsidiaries" he said of the Trump Organization.

☆ Indonesia’s Parliament passes law criminalizing adultery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia’s Parliament passed a long-awaited and controversial revision of its penal code Tuesday that criminalizes extramarital sex for citizens and visiting foreigners alike. After ratification, the new criminal code must be signed by the president, according to Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights Edward Hiariej. The criminal code will not apply immediately. Widodo had instructed Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly to get input from various communities while lawmakers discussed the articles. “These laws let police extort bribes, let officials jail political foes, for instance, with the blasphemy law,” Harsono said.

☆ Indonesia set to pass new criminal code that will ban sex outside marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Ananda Teresia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The government and House of Representatives have agreed on the draft code, clearing a hurdle to its passage. Parliament had planned to ratify a draft new code in September 2019, but nationwide demonstrations over perceived threats to civil liberties halted its passage. Legislators in the world's third-largest democracy have since watered down some of the articles deemed most contentious. "This criminal code is a huge setback for Indonesia," said Bivitri Susanti, a law expert from the Indonesia Jentera School of Law. Once ratified, the new code will come into effect after three years as the government and related institutions draft related implementing regulations.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ Trump Org. rests case on sour note in NY tax fraud trial after judge scolds defense over 11th-hour evidence dump
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Lawyers for Trump's real-estate empire rested their case Monday at their Manhattan tax fraud trial. First, though, the trial judge scolded Trump Organization lawyers over an 11th-hour evidence dump. On Monday, defense lawyers told the judge that during summations, they'll tell jurors that although McConney and Weisselberg know now that they broke the law, they didn't know it at the time. Jurors were told to return on Thursday when they will hear the first of two days worth of closing arguments. Meanwhile, the two sides will appear before the judge Tuesday morning to fine-tune what jurors will be told by the judge just before they begin deliberations.

CNN —The Big Ten Conference has fined Michigan State University $100,000 and suspended Spartans cornerback Khary “KJ” Crump for the first eight games of next season following the post-football game fight against rival Michigan in the players’ tunnel at Michigan Stadium on October 29. Michigan State finished its regular season 5-7. At the time, Michigan football Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said two of his players were “assaulted,” and one of them may have a broken nose. Seven Spartans football players, including Crump, were charged last week, according to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office. 4 in the nation, defeated Michigan State 29-7 before the scuffle.

Black voters in Louisiana are confused. Louisiana House of RepresentativesIn an unusual twist, Jordan initiated a campaign last summer for an amendment he authored to fail. Jordan was fine with the amendment not passing, even though many Black voters disagreed. The Louisiana State Penitentiary, nicknamed Angola. “I have to believe that every person of color in Louisiana would vote to have that removed from Louisiana’s Constitution.

☆ UN report details horrifying Ukrainian accounts of abuse and torture in Russian prisons
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — A report commissioned by the United Nations found that Russian forces have committed widespread abuse against prisoners captured during the invasion of Ukraine. In some cases, the investigators found that Ukrainian forces tortured Russian troops, though those incidents were less frequent. In preparing the report, investigators conducted 159 interviews over the course of eight months. Some former Ukrainian POWs recounted sporadic incidents where Russian soldiers who had captured, transported or guarded Ukrainian POWs beat them in apparent retribution for military setbacks or in the immediate aftermath of battle. The women prisoners also said they were forced to undress and walk naked down hallways.

☆ Brittney Griner Has Begun Serving Nine-Year Sentence at a Russian Penal Colony
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Ann M. Simmons | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW—U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has begun serving her nine-year drug conviction at a Russian penal colony notorious for its tough and unsanitary conditions, in a development likely to intensify urgency around calls for her release. Ms. Griner’s legal team said Thursday that the two-time Olympian was at the IK-2 female penal colony in Mordovia, around 300 miles southeast of Moscow, where they visited her earlier this week.

☆ IKEA suppliers allegedly used Belarus prisoners under forced labor conditions, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Mia Alberti | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —IKEA furniture was allegedly produced by prisoners in Belarus penal colonies under forced labor conditions, according to a new report by the French non-profit investigative journalism network Disclose. “These are forced labor camps that are particularly brutal, known for practicing torture as well as food and healthcare deprivation, the exact opposite of the values flaunted by the Swedish firm,” Disclose said in its report. Disclose says other IKEA suppliers resorted to forced labor from prisoners in Belarus’ IK-15 penal colony and IK-2 juvenile prison. IKEA takes the report “very seriously and never accept[s] human rights violations” in its supply chain, the company told CNN in an emailed statement. We always strive to live up to our values and the expectations of those in our supply chain,” IKEA said.

☆ Russian prison activist paints picture of life facing Griner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Filipp Lebedev | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's prison service has not responded to questions from Reuters about living and working conditions in such institutions. This is where in the morning they have the daily inspection, rollcall and physical exercise, whatever the weather. They always wear uniform. Breakfast is definitely going to be porridge - not with milk, and it’s porridge made from barley, that’s the most “popular”. The Gulag, created in 1933, and the current prison system (in Russia) are identical except for the name.

LONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Russia hopes it can make a prisoner swap with the United States that would include convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death", a deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying on Friday. Amid the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two, Russia and the United States are exploring a prisoner swap that would see imprisoned Americans including basketball star Brittney Griner return to the United States in exchange for Bout. "The Americans are showing some external activity, we are working professionally through a special channel designed for this," Ryabkov said. "Viktor Bout is among those who are being discussed, and we certainly count on a positive result." The possible swap includes Griner, facing nine years behind bars in Russia after being convicted on drug charges, and Paul Whelan who is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia after being convicted of espionage charges that he denies.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Brittney Griner taken to penal colony in Russia's Mordovia region - source
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Filipp Lebedev | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool/File PhotoNov 17 (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been taken to a penal colony in the Russian region of Mordovia, a source familiar with the case told Reuters on Thursday. In August, Griner was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony on drugs charges following her arrest at a Moscow airport in February with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She was moved from a detention centre near Moscow on Nov. 4 to be taken to an undisclosed prison location. Russian authorities have given no information on her whereabouts for nearly two weeks, but the source said she had been taken to Female Penal Colony IK-2 in Yavas, about 500 km (300 miles) southeast of Moscow. Inmates of Russian penal colonies are required to work long hours for meagre pay on tedious manual tasks such as sewing.

☆ Brittney Griner taken to remote, all-female Russian penal colony to serve 9-year sentence: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Brittney Griner was moved to a penal colony in Russia's Mordovia, Reuters reported. A source familiar with the situation told the outlet that she has been moved to Female Penal Colony IK-2 in Yavas, a small town about 300 miles southeast of Moscow. On November 4, she was moved from a detention center near Moscow to an unknown location, the outlet reported. A satellite image of the IK-2 penal colony in Yavas, Russia. Griner was arrested on drugs charges in February, after she was found with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

☆ Brittney Griner taken to penal colony in Russia's Mordovia region - lawyers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been taken to a penal colony in the Russian region of Mordovia, her lawyers said in a statement on Thursday. Reuters had earlier reported the transfer, citing a source familiar with the case. In August, Griner was sentenced to nine years on drugs charges following her arrest at a Moscow airport with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. Reporting by Reuters; editing by David Ljunggren and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Both Russia and Ukraine tortured prisoners of war, UN says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The U.N.'s Ukraine-based monitoring team based its findings on interviews with more than 100 prisoners of war on each side of the conflict since April. The interviews with Ukrainian prisoners of war were conducted after their release, since Russia did not grant access to detention sites, it said. Matilda Bogner, head of the monitoring mission, told a Geneva press briefing that the "vast majority" of Ukrainian prisoners they interviewed held by Russian forces reported torture and ill-treatment. Russia, which invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, denies torture or other forms of maltreatment of POWs. Other Russian prisoners reported poor and humiliating conditions of transport and of being packed into trucks or vans naked, with their hands tied behind their backs.

☆ Ex-inmate explains what Brittney Griner should expect in Russian Penal colony
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Biden hopes Putin will be more open to negotiating Brittney Griner's release now midterms are over
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Biden said he hopes Putin will be willing to talk about freeing Brittney Griner with midterms over. He said he hopes Putin will "be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange." Griner's appeal to her nine-year sentence was rejected, and she has been sent to a penal colony. Biden has publicly spoken about trying to release Griner multiple times. Earlier this week Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, said she was worried about the basketball star's mental health.

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