(C) U.S. State Dept
This story was originally published by U.S. State Dept and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Diplomacy frees 16 unjustly detained people [1]

['Noelani Kirschner']

Date: 2024-08-02 23:15:12+00:00

The United States has secured the release of four Americans and a dozen others unjustly detained in Russia.

Those released include Paul Whelan, an American arrested in Russia in 2018 while attending a wedding. Whelan is now reunited with his family for the first time in over five years.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and U.S. resident Vladimir Kara-Murza, a journalist and pro-democracy advocate, are the other Americans released.

Both the U.S. Constitution and the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights enshrine the concept of a free press. “We stand for freedom, for liberty, for justice, not only for our own people but for others as well,” President Biden said August 1, announcing that 16 — the Americans, plus five Germans and seven Russian citizens — were going home.

Soon after their release, the four Americans spoke by phone to the president and family members assembled in the Oval Office.

“No word is strong enough for this. I was sure I’m going to die in prison because I don’t believe what’s happening,” said Kara-Murza, who was arrested in 2022 after speaking out against Russia’s unjust war against Ukraine. “I just want you to know that you’ve done a wonderful thing by saving so many people,” he told the president. “I don’t think there are many things more important than saving human lives.”

After enduring unimaginable suffering and uncertainty, the Americans detained in Russia are safe, free, and have begun their journeys back into the arms of their families. pic.twitter.com/1rYNBTt9tJ — President Biden (@POTUS) August 1, 2024

The president expressed his gratitude “to our Allies who stood with us throughout tough, complex negotiations to achieve this outcome — including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey. This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon. Our alliances make Americans safer.”

The Biden administration has brought home dozens of Americans wrongfully detained or held hostage in numerous countries, including Burma, Iran, Russia and Venezuela. Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed their shared commitment to bring home Americans who remain wrongfully detained, whether in Russia or other places.

“We will not forget you, and we will not rest until you see your loved ones again,” Blinken said.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://share.america.gov/diplomatic-triumph-frees-16-unjustly-detained-people/?utm_source=hero&utm_medium=share_america

Published and (C) by U.S. State Dept
Content appears here under this condition or license: Public Domain.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/usstate/