President Trump faced pressure Friday to speak with his Russian counterpart about Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine jailed in Moscow since his arrest six months earlier.
Relatives of Mr. Whelan, 49, said they were “hopeful” that either Mr. Trump or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would press Russia for his release during the ongoing Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan.
“Russians should want their justice system to treat those wrongfully arrested fairly and release them when a mistake is made. Americans should want the rights of American citizens to be respected wherever they go in the world,” his family members said in a statement.
Mr. Whelan, a businessman from Michigan, was arrested at a Moscow hotel on Dec. 28 and has been jailed ever since at the notorious nearby Lefortovo Detention Facility. Russian authorities allege he was caught possessing a USB drive containing classified information and have accused him of espionage, putting him at risk of spending potentially 20 years behind bars abroad.
Mr. Whelan has denied spying and said he believes he is being held in retaliation for U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia.
Appearing in a Russian court last week, Mr. Whelan personally appealed to Mr. Trump for assistance as he neared his sixth month in Russian prison.
“Mr. President, we cannot keep America great unless we aggressively protect and defend American citizens wherever they are in the world,” Mr. Whelan told reporters.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow announced Wednesday that it sent an official note of protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry after Mr. Whelan recently complained of being mistreated while behind bars.
More recently, Mr. Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G-20 summit Friday. It was not clear if Mr. Whelan’s case was discussed, and neither the White House nor Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately returned messages requesting comment.
“We are monitoring Mr. Whelan’s case closely and continue to press for fair and humane treatment, due process and access to appropriate medical care,” a State Department spokesperson told The Washington Times. “We take allegations of mistreatment seriously and will continue to raise Mr. Whelan’s case at every opportunity.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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