Paul Whelan's family continues fight to bring him home
Update: The Biden administration has agreed to a prisoner exchange with Russia to secure the release of U.S. citizens Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva.
(CBS DETROIT) - A Novi man who has been detained in a Russian prison for nearly five years is still fighting to return to the United States. Members of Paul Whelan's family have now gone to Washington, D.C., to speak with officials and advocate for his return.
Whelan would love nothing more than to return to the quiet streets of Novi, the place he had called home before being detained in a Russian prison.
His sister Elizabeth Whelan said it was a situation that should have never happened.
"He was over there because an American friend, another former Marine, was getting married to somebody in Moscow, asked Paul if we would do the huge favor of not just coming to the wedding but also helping out with the guests," she said.
She said once Paul Whelan was in Russia, things took a terrible turn for her brother.
"Our understanding is that someone he had met on a previous trip and he considered to be a friend popped in to the hotel where Paul was staying, handed him a USB drive that supposedly contained pictures from a previous visit of Paul's. And then the FSB, which are the Russian security services, the modern version of the KGB, basically burst in and arrested Paul for receiving state secrets," said Elizabeth Whelan.
Since then, it has been a battle to set him free and return him back to the United States.
"It's grueling, in a word. This is my 24th visit down, and you try to keep an optimistic attitude. You try to work with people on both sides of the aisle in Congress to make sure that they understand what's going on," said Elizabeth Whelan. "Congress has passed, I think, five resolutions for Paul now, or at least introduced five. And definitely, four of them have passed resolutions calling for Russia to release him and basically showing their support. They keep pressure on the State Department. I keep in touch with the State Department to find out what's going on there, and then I also go to the National Security Council and talk to people at that level."
Elizabeth Whelan said keeping her brother's name on the minds of Americans is an important part of securing his freedom.
"I have found it necessary to sort of run around D.C., visiting all of these people and trying to keep the pressure on and also to get those briefings. People don't like to give you classified or even semi-classified information over the phone or Zoom," she said. "And so if you really want to know what's going on, you have to come down here. But that is a terrible burden on families to continue to make these trips. The State Department does not pay for them."
Although the trips are costly, it's a necessary expense to the Whelans and other families who are fighting for their loved ones to be released from foreign custody.
"I've known people who've taken out second mortgages, given up their retirement funds, spent till they had no more to spend, to continue to come to D.C."
For the next several days, Elizabeth Whelan plans to be vocal and present in Washington, D.C., on behalf of her brother.
"I do have meetings scheduled with, for example, a number of people from the Michigan delegation," she said.
She said as of now, Paul Whelan is still relatively healthy. Although Russian prisons are known for being brutal. She said money collected through his GoFundMe page has been used to help keep him that way.
"That money has allowed the embassy to send him fresh fruit and vegetables, vitamins, food that allows him to stay reasonably healthy," said Elizabeth Whelan.
Until he is able to come home, his family, friends, and many strangers are still fighting for a safe and healthy return of Paul Whelan.
CBS News Detroit reached out to the U.S. Department of State for an update on Paul Whelan.
The department issued a statement saying:
"Paul Whelan continues to show tremendous courage. That does not change that his ongoing wrongful detention is unacceptable.
"As Secretary Blinken said during a phone call with Paul Whelan on August 16, President Biden remains committed to bringing Paul home. The United States will continue to work to bring home Paul Whelan and all U.S. nationals wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad.
"Once again, we call on Russia to immediately release Paul Whelan and also to release Evan Gershkovich."