Paul Whelan's Surprise Release

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Paul Whelan

CBS News

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Freed American Paul Whelan, in first interview, opens up about life inside a Russian labor camp

Summary

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74% Informative

Paul Whelan was two years into a 16-year prison sentence in Russia when he was released in August .

The U.S. State Department determined he was wrongfully detained in Russia .

He was the global head of security for auto parts supplier BorgWarner .

"I hadn't done anything. I hadn't committed espionage," he says.

The labor camp housed mainly prisoners from Tajikistan , Turkmenistan , Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan .

They were much younger than Whelan and helped him figure out how to send messages back and forth through the prison communication network with Reed before his release.

"Knowing that he was there gave me some strength and helped me get through my ordeal," he says.

Griner , who won her third consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris , had advocated for Whelan 's freedom after her release. "It was one of those incredible moments," he said..

VR Score

Informative language

Neutral language

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful