Washington D.C. – Senator Jeanne Shaheen, September 17, 2024
U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee, met with Paul Whelan to express her gratitude for his safe return home and to discuss efforts to release American citizens who have been wrongfully imprisoned abroad. Whelan was detained in Russia for nearly six years, convicted on fraudulent espionage charges and was finally freed last month through a prisoner swap negotiated by the Biden-Harris Administration. Other wrongfully detained Americans released in this swap included Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, as well as U.S. legal permanent resident and Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza and others. Photos from Senator Shaheen’s meeting with Paul can be found here and video can be found here.
“For nearly six years, Paul Whelan was wrongfully imprisoned by the Russian government—it’s hard to imagine the trauma and anxiety that he and his family suffered during those long years,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m honored to have met with him to express my relief at his safe return home and to discuss how the U.S. government can continue using every tool at its disposal to bring home wrongfully detained Americans. Mr. Whelan’s release was a critical victory and a demonstration of the fortitude of our global partnerships, but our work is not done until every unjustly detained American citizen is freed.”
