Paul Whelan, American Imprisoned in Russia, Is Seen in New Video

Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia, appeared in a video launched on Monday by a Kremlin-backed news community, giving his household an opportunity to see him for the primary time in three years.

Mr. Whelan, a former Marine serving a 16-year sentence on what U.S. officers say are bogus espionage costs, has been largely out of sight since he was convicted by a Russian court docket in June 2020, though he has been visited by Western diplomats.

In the video posted by RT — a state-owned English-language community beforehand often called Russia Today — Mr. Whelan is seen in a number of settings, together with consuming in a cafeteria. He seemed to be in good well being and declined an interviewer’s request to ask him questions.

In an e mail to supporters, Mr. Whelan’s twin brother, David, stated that Monday “was the first time I’ve seen what he really looks like since June 2020.”

“So thank you, Russia Today, because although your reporting is the worst sort of propaganda and you are the mouthpiece for war criminals, at least I could see what Paul looks like after all of these years,” he wrote.

David Whelan stated the video was recorded in May. He added that his brother beforehand knowledgeable their dad and mom that jail officers had punished him for his refusal to take part within the interview, together with by taking a few of his clothes.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, stated at a news briefing on Tuesday that “it was reassuring to see that he remains — and this is to use his brother’s words — ‘unbowed.’”

“Paul continues to show tremendous courage,” Ms. Jean-Pierre stated. “That does not change that his circumstance are truly unacceptable, and we will continue to be very clear about that. Russia should release him immediately.”

President Biden has stated he’s working to safe the discharge of Mr. Whelan. The State Department tried for months to incorporate him within the deal that freed the W.N.B.A. star Brittney Griner, who was arrested in a Russian airport shortly earlier than the invasion of Ukraine and later pleaded responsible to drug costs.

Ms. Griner was launched in December in alternate for Viktor Bout, a infamous Russian arms supplier often called the “Merchant of Death.”

Aside from diplomatic visits, communication by Mr. Whelan, a company safety government, has been restricted to telephone calls and a telephone interview that he did with CNN in May.

Mr. Whelan, 53, and Evan Gershkovich — an American reporter from The Wall Street Journal arrested in March, additionally on espionage costs — have been designated by the United States as “wrongfully detained,” which implies they’re primarily thought of political hostages.

David Whelan stated in an interview in April that he would “be happy for the U.S. government to make whatever concessions they can to bring Paul home.”