Washington D.C. - Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Republican Leader on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement on a Russian court sentencing U.S. citizen Paul Whelan to 16 years in prison.
“The sentencing of Paul Whelan to 16 years in prison is the culmination of a sham process that has deprived Paul of a lawyer of his choosing, proper medical care, contact with his family, and his freedom. This joke of a conviction is further evidence that the Russian judicial system is just an appendage of the Kremlin. I strongly urge Vladimir Putin’s regime to release Paul immediately and allow him to return to his family in the United States.".
