Free Paul Whelan, American and former US Marine held in Russia | Pod Hostage Diplomacy

Today marks 1,000 days since Paul Whelan, an American citizen and former US Marine has been unjustly detained in Russia. US President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Congress have all called on Russia to release Paul and allow him to return home to his family in Michigan. Paul’s family believe he is being held by the Russian FSB as a bargaining chip to extract concessions from the United States. This would be hostage diplomacy. We speak to Paul’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan to find out what we can do to help.We discuss what happened to Paul, his sham trial, the deplorable conditions in Lefortovo and Mordovia IK-17 prisons, a possible prisoner swap, progress on Paul’s release since the Biden-Putin summit, repercussions of US sanctions on Russia, the Free Paul Whelan campaign, the toll Paul’s imprisonment has taken on his family, Trevor Reed as well as what the public, US government, Senate, House of Representatives, President Biden and journalists can do to help bring Paul Whelan home to his family in Michigan.If you prefer, you can watch the video version of this interview on YouTube. For more information on Paul Whelan, please check out the following:Free Paul Whelan websiteFree Paul Whelan Go Fund MeElizabeth Whelan's Twitter accountSocial media hashtag: FreePaulWhelanGet the latest updates on hostage cases we at Pod Hostage Diplomacy are working on including new episodes by subscribing to our fortnightly newsletter, the Hostage Briefing. Subscribe here.You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.Support the show