U.S. detainee Whelan telephones household after week of silence in Russia -statement By Reuters

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan stands inside a defendants’ cage throughout his verdict listening to in Moscow, Russia June 15, 2020. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov//File Picture

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – American detainee Paul Whelan phoned his mother and father from Russia early on Friday, his brother stated, the primary contact since final week that occurred after the White Home expressed deep concern.

Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine detained in Russia since 2018 and convicted on espionage prices in 2020, had been transferred to the hospital jail, his brother, David Whelan, stated in a press release.

“So the decision not less than acts as a ‘proof of life’, even when nothing else has been defined: when Paul went there, why, why the calls stopped, why the U.S. Embassy needed to search details about his whereabouts and the Russian authorities refused to reply, and so on,” his brother stated.

On Wednesdsay, White Home nationwide safety spokesman John Kirby (NYSE:) stated the US was “deeply involved” about why they’d not been in a position to get data on Whelan’s whereabouts or situation from Moscow.

Kirby addressed the problem after Whelan’s household stated this week that they’d not heard from Paul since Nov. 23, however had seen reviews he had been moved to the jail hospital.