The White House on August 29 said it was reassuring to see video footage of U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine jailed in Russia over what the United States calls bogus espionage charges, and called on Moscow to release him immediately. Arrested in 2018 in Russia, Whelan was convicted of spying charges in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony in Mordovia, a Russian region notorious since Soviet times for its penal colonies. He has denied the accusations. "It was reassuring to see that he remains -- and this is to use his brother's words -- 'unbowed,'" White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. To read the original story by Reuters, click here.
Video Of Jailed U.S. Citizen Paul Whelan Is 'Reassuring,' White House Says
Paul Whelan in a Moscow courtroom on June 15, 2020