Whelan's Family Hopes Biden, Trudeau To Discuss His Case- Statement

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2023) The family of Paul Whelan, who has been held in Russia on spying charges since 2018, expressed the hope that US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will discuss his case during their meeting on Thursday.

"I hope that President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau, when they meet today, will take a moment to discuss Paul Whelan and what countries should do for their arbitrarily detained citizens.� Canada led the 2021 Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations.� But good intentions need to lead to positive results and require action," Whelan's brother, David Whelan said in a statement.

Paul Whelan is a citizen of the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

The Whelan family expressed gratitude for Canadian diplomats, who are visiting Paul permanently, including last week, when they delivered him personal supplies. "They also delivered about 20 kgs of mail to the prison, mail that has been received since December," the statement added.

Russian authorities arrested Paul Whelan in the Moscow area in December 2018 and a court sentenced him to 16 years in prison on charges of espionage. Whelan has maintained that he is innocent and insisted that he arrived in Russia for a friend's wedding.