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Live updates: Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan are freed in massive prisoner swap involving U.S., Russia and other countries
Whelan’s brother thanked President Biden and others for the release of his family member after “Paul was held hostage for 2,043 days.”
“Paul Whelan is free. Our family is grateful to the United States government for making Paul’s freedom a reality. We’d like to thank President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and National Security Advisor Sullivan for their engagement with the Russian Federation to create the environment where Paul’s freedom became a possibility,” David Whelan said in a statement today.
He went on to thank members of Congress and people who supported his brother’s release “from across the globe.”
“There is no way to thank the many Americans and others who helped and gave hope to Paul from afar, writing letters and donating to his GoFundMe prison account,” he said in the statement. “We are grateful for the assistance that, like Paul’s extended family, came from across the globe.”
David Whelan also said that “we were discouraged from speaking out about Paul’s case.”
“But we believe the media attention has been a crucial factor in securing Paul’s freedom,” he said. “Those first years were hard when the Trump Administration ignored Paul’s wrongful detention, and it was media attention that helped to finally create critical mass and awareness within the U.S. government.”
“Paul Whelan is not in a Russian labor colony any longer, but he is not home,” his brother said. “While Paul was wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, he lost his home. He lost his job. We are unsure how someone overcomes these losses and rejoins society after being a hostage.”
David Whelen ended his statement reiterating, “we are grateful for everyone’s efforts to help Paul while he was away” and asked for space and privacy for his brother.
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