A aircraft carrying three freed People, together with journalist Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Thursday evening as a part of an enormous prisoner change deal involving a number of nations that freed 26 prisoners.
Gershkovich, Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva had been launched by Russia on Thursday within the largest prisoner change for the reason that finish of the Chilly Battle.
The three American detainees had been warmly welcomed by US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. They had been additionally greeted and hugged by their households, who cried tears of pleasure and reduction at seeing them after so lengthy. “Welcome residence,” Biden informed the launched detainees.
In accordance with the White Home, the US had negotiated the prisoner change with Russia, Germany and three different nations. The deal, negotiated in secret in Ankara, Turkey, for greater than a 12 months, included 26 prisoners, together with 16 who got here to the West from Russia and eight who had been despatched again to Russia from the West.
Households of the launched detainees had an emotional second within the Oval Workplace as they spoke to their family members by cellphone.
In a quick dialog, Biden informed the three People that that they had been detained “unjustly” and that “we had been overwhelmed” to have them return residence.
“We simply wish to say how overwhelmed we’re. They have been unjustly detained for too lengthy and we’re glad they’re residence,” Biden informed the launched detainees as households stood across the presidential Resolute Desk.
“Each mum or dad, little one, partner and cherished one who joined me within the Oval Workplace right this moment has been praying for today for a very long time,” he stated.
In an emotional dialog, the mom of Gershkovich, a Wall Avenue Journal reporter primarily based in Russia, informed her son over the cellphone that it was her who was talking.
“That is Mother. Are you able to hear me? It is your mother,” Gershkovich’s mom informed her son over the cellphone. Your complete second was captured in a two-minute video posted on Biden’s workplace’s X profile.
Gershkovich was arrested in March final 12 months on espionage prices, which he and the US authorities vehemently denied. He was later sentenced to 16 years in a high-security Russian jail.
Whelan, a former Marine who labored as a company safety govt in Michigan, was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and convicted on espionage prices. He has been serving a 16-year sentence in a Russian jail. Whelan and the U.S. authorities have denied he’s a spy, and Washington has known as him “unjustly detained.”
Kurmasheva, an editor for Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), a media outlet funded by the U.S. authorities, traveled to Russia in Might final 12 months to reunite along with her mom. Nonetheless, Russian authorities briefly detained her whereas she waited for her return flight and confiscated each her Russian and U.S. passports, USAToday reported.
The 47-year-old was initially fined for failing to register her US passport with Russian authorities. Nonetheless, in October she was arrested and charged with “failing to register as a overseas agent.”
She was subsequently sentenced to 6 and a half years in jail on 19 July 2024, accused of spreading false details about the Russian army.
(with data from Reuters)
