Paul Whelan Lands Back on Home Soil

On a late Thursday night, right before the clock struck twelve, Paul Whelan of Novi finally stepped onto American soil once again. Alongside him were fellow American Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, landing at military airbase, Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland.

The trio had jointly been held in Russian prisons on what the American government has called ‘bogus’ criminal charges. Of the three, Whelan had spent the longest time in confinement – a gruelling 5 years, seven months and five days. His long-awaited freedom finally arrived when he was the first to exit the plane onto American soil. He was welcomed by a host of prominent political figures, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Whelan was originally arrested on December 28, 2018, on charges of espionage, while he was in Russia attending a wedding. His sentence? 16 years of hard labor. Similarly, Gershkovich faced identical charges and a similar sentence after being arrested in March 2023.

In a statement, the U.S. government aforementioned that they believed the convictions to be completely false and politically motivated. This sentiment was echoed by families of the released and various human rights organizations globally.

In a moment that’s bound to become an iconic image, President Biden personally pinned his own American flag lapel pin onto the former Marine – Paul Whelan. As reporters asked him questions, Whelan corrected a misassumption about his detainment with precision: “Five years, seven months, five days,” He told reporters that he had sung the national anthem every day that he was in custody.

Whelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva’s release was a part of a massive prisoner exchange involving seven countries and a total of 24 prisoners. While some of them are back with their loved ones, others are still awaiting their freedom.