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| Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan |
The United States is preparing a new proposal to secure the release of two Americans imprisoned in Russia, the White House said Thursday, raising hopes for a release of the detainees after the Kremlin rejected a previous proposal.
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and is currently serving a 16-year sentence for 'espionage'. Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich has been imprisoned since March also for espionage charges which the defendants and the US government vehemently deny.
“We’re working hard to see what we can do to get another proposal that might be more successful,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
A report by VOA quoted experts saying that the jailing “underscores Moscow’s yearslong crackdown on press freedom.”