American waiting in Russian jail

Family sees spy charges as Moscow’s bid to use ex-Marine

WASHINGTON — An American tourist accused of espionage has been jailed in Russia for more than a year as his family members and lawmakers seek to step up pressure for his release.

The family of the American, Paul Whelan, said the Russian government is holding him in the hope of increasing his value in a potential trade for Russians imprisoned in the United States.

Relatives are now calling on Congress to penalize Moscow for its detention of Whelan, who was arrested last year while visiting Russia for a wedding. And lawmakers are pressing President Donald Trump’s administration to escalate its efforts to secure his release.

Whelan was arrested shortly after a Russian citizen accused of trying to influence prominent Americans, Maria Butina, was imprisoned after pleading guilty to conspiring to act as a foreign agent. Some officials had hoped that Whelan would be freed once Butina had served her sentence. But she returned to Russia in October, and Whelan’s detention has been extended at least until March.

In talks with American counterparts, Russian officials have mentioned the names of Russians held in the United States, including Viktor Bout, an arms dealer convicted of aiding a terrorist organization and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

The United States has a policy of never identifying who is or is not a spy, to better protect people who are working overseas for the CIA. But there is no evidence that Whelan was working for an intelligence agency. U.S. officials have broadly hinted that Whelan was just what he appeared to be: a somewhat naive Russophile who was an innocent tourist.

“They are dragging out this whole detention and trial to create more value around Paul,” said Elizabeth Whelan, his sister.

But she said that Russian officials overestimated her brother’s importance on the geopolitical stage.

“Paul is not a particularly valuable guy in and of himself, and I say that lovingly, as he is my brother,” she said. “He is not the CEO of Apple or something like that.”

Lawmakers from both parties have doubled down on their defense of Whelan.

On Friday, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., posted on Twitter a call for Whelan’s release; and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said that Whelan’s detention was “a political stunt by the Russians.”

“Enough is enough: The Russian government needs to let Paul go,” Peters said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has raised the matter with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov. But, perhaps to avoid escalating tensions with Moscow, the Trump administration has not classified Whelan as wrongfully detained, meaning he is not considered a hostage.

In September, Peters urged the White House to have the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs help secure Whelan’s release.

And Elizabeth Whelan said that without the help of the government’s hostage team, it was hard to coordinate the government’s efforts. By visiting Washington each month, she said, she was trying to improve the flow of information among departments and Congress about her brother’s situation.

“Of course the difficulty is that I don’t work within the government, and I can’t make things happen,” she said.

Paul Whelan, a former Marine, was seized last December and accused of espionage-related crimes. At a court appearance on Christmas Eve, he held up a sign reading, “I remain innocent! No espionage! No evidence!” At earlier court appearances, he also has declared his innocence.

Whelan’s family and representatives said his health had declined during his time in prison. He was scheduled to have a hernia operation last February in the United States. That condition has worsened in prison.

His sister said she believed her brother would be put on to trial, perhaps this summer.

“It is theater at best. There is a 100% chance Paul will be sentenced as if he were really a spy,” she said. “This entire drama is part of political positioning to extract some kind of concession.”