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American citizens Paul Whelan, Arsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich were released from Russian prisons as a result of a “historic prisoner exchange”. A total of 16 people – political prisoners, journalists, wrongfully accused – left Russian prisons in the exchange. Voice of America broadcasts.
On Thursday, Ankara saw what could be described as the most unprecedented event since the end of the Cold War.
“Today we brought back Paul, Evan, Arsu, Vladimir, three American citizens and a U.S. green card holder. All four had been unjustly imprisoned in Russia,” said U.S. President Joe Biden.
Those leaving Russian prisons include journalists Evan Gershkovich and Arsu Kurmasheva, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Vladimir Kara-Murza.
After months of negotiations, a total of 16 people were released, including five illegally detained Germans and seven Russians, in exchange for eight Russians imprisoned in the United States, Germany, Poland, Norway and Slovenia.
Standing alongside relatives of those released, Biden called the agreement a “feat of diplomacy.”
“Many countries helped make this happen. At my request, they joined the difficult negotiations, and I personally thank them all again,” the US President said.
The Kremlin is understood to have been the first to call for the release of Vadim Krasikov, reportedly a personal acquaintance of Putin who was convicted of murder in Germany.
Of all the Americans, Paul Whelan has spent the longest time in a Russian prison. The military veteran was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges, charges he and the U.S. government deny.
Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich was also jailed on espionage charges, which he also denied. The journalist spent 490 days in prison. Another journalist, Kurmasheva, an employee of Azatut, was in prison for about 10 months. Moscow accused the journalist of violating Russia’s law “on foreign agents.”
“This is very dangerous for many of our journalists. [մեր աշխատանքը]. They are literally on the front lines, constantly putting their lives in danger,” said Dayan Zeleni, who oversees external relations for Azatut.
Observers say Russian authorities’ continued targeting of Kremlin critics and journalists with no ties to the regime is gradually being curtailed.
© ORAGIR.NEWS https://oragir.news/hy/material/2024/08/02/125356
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