Whelans Express Hope New US Ambassador's Arrival In Moscow Will Help Paul Whelan's Release

The family of convicted spy Paul Whelan on Thursday expressed the hope that the arrival of new US Ambassador Lynn Tracy in Moscow will help his release from prison

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2023) The family of convicted spy Paul Whelan on Thursday expressed the hope that the arrival of new US Ambassador Lynn Tracy in Moscow will help his release from prison.

"Our family is hopeful that Ambassador Lynne Tracy's arrival today in Moscow to helm the US embassy will help propel efforts forward to free Paul," the Whelans said in a statement.�"The US embassy staff have been unstinting in their support but it can only help to have an Ambassador, after 4 months without one, to advocate for Paul's safety and freedom."

Whelan is able to call his parents daily and the US embassy has recently received many letters with the request to deliver them to him in prison, the statement said.

"We are looking forward to hearing his reaction when embassy staff are able to deliver the mail to him in Mordovia.�Perhaps the ambassador will be able to be part of that visit.�It may take months of translation by prison staff for him to hold them, but it will mean a lot to Paul to know that, after four years as a hostage, he hasn't been forgotten," the statement said.

The Russian authorities arrested Paul Whelan in December 2018 and a Moscow court sentenced him to 16 years in prison on charges of espionage. Whelan, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, has maintained that he is innocent and insisted that he arrived in Russia for a friend's wedding.�