DETROIT – The brother of Paul Whelan, the Novi man who has been held in Russia on charges of spying for the U.S. government discussed his growing concern over the situation Monday.
Paul Whelan was arrested Dec. 28 on allegations of carrying out an act of espionage. He was in possession of classified documents at the time of his arrest, according to reports.
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David Whelan said his brother has been jailed for 101 days by Russian authorities without evidence.
He expressed concern about the lack of communication from the U.S. government's diplomats.
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"It was important for our family to hear Secretary of State (Mike) Pompeo reaffirm the U.S. government's mission to return Americans held abroad. My thanks to the journalists who let us know he was scheduled to make the remarks. The lack of communication from the U.S. government's diplomats tends to confirm a feeling of inactivity at that level," David Whelan said.
He accused the State Department of continuing to wait rather than act. He said his family has been told that the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs has not made a decision about the case.
He added that the difficulty with "quiet diplomacy" is that for families it is not clear when the quiet signifies inaction.
According to David Whelan, Paul Whelan has continued to receive consular support and was visited by U.S. Embassy staff Thursday. He also noted that the Irish consular staff saw him on March 22.
David Whelan said there is concern about his brother's health and efforts are being led to help him see a doctor who is not from the prison.