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Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) today applauded the House passage of H. Res. 272, calling on Russia to immediately release Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2018. Dingell co-led the resolution with Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11), and represents Novi, where Whelan lived before being detained, and Manchester, where Whelan’s family resides.

“Paul has been wrongly imprisoned in Russia for more than four years. As a native of Novi, Paul has two women fighting day and night for him in Congress – and our entire delegation stands united in this effort. His imprisonment continues to be an affront to due process, international law, and human rights,” Dingell said. “We have witnessed increasingly bold and reckless action by Russia in wrongfully detaining American citizens. This is unjust, unconscionable, and unacceptable. Our people are not political pawns.”

“We must pursue every avenue to secure his immediate release – and I will work with everyone here to make that happen,” Dingell continued. “Paul needs hope. His family needs hope. With this resolution, the House of Representatives sends a strong message to Russia that Paul is not a pawn in international relations, we want him home, and we are fighting hard to bring him home.”

View Dingell’s remarks on the House Floor in support of H. Res. 272 here.