Kirby addressed the issue after Whelan’s family said this week they had not heard from Paul Whelan, a former Marine, since Nov. 23, but had received information that he had been transferred to the hospital from prison.
Whelan, who holds US, British, Canadian and Irish passports, was arrested in Russia in December 2018 and sentenced two years later for espionage.
“We have been trying to get more information about Mr. Whelan’s condition and whereabouts… Unfortunately, we do not have a specific update on his whereabouts, whereabouts or what condition he is in,” Kirby told reporters.
“It concerns us deeply and we certainly share the Whelan family’s anxiety and concern.”
US diplomats in Moscow are trying to get details about what’s happening with Whelan, Kirby said.
“But yes, we are deeply concerned about Paul’s lack of information and lack of contact,” he added.
Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia’s Mordovia region on espionage charges, which he denies.
The Whelan family said in statements this week that they had not heard from Paul since Nov. 23 and had received mixed messages from prison staff that he had been transferred to the prison hospital.
Colony staff said Paul was transferred to the prison hospital Nov. 17, a day after a visit from American and Irish diplomats, his brother David Whelan said. Paul had spoken to his parents every day from 5pm to 11pm and hadn’t mentioned the move, David Whelan said in an email Wednesday.
The family has not heard from him since, including on November 24, the holiday of Thanksgiving.
“Paul used to call holidays and now he’s missed both Thanksgiving and our father’s birthday. It’s very unusual,” said David Whelan.
When he was transferred to the hospital from prison in the past, his brother had always mentioned the transfer in his phone calls, David Whelan said.
The United States is discussing a deal with Russia to free Whelan and imprisoned American basketball star Brittney Griner, but US officials say Russia has not provided a “serious response” to any of Washington’s proposals.
Griner was taken to a Russian penal colony this month to serve a nine-year sentence for drug trafficking after being arrested in February with vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. He testified at his trial that he used them to relieve pain from sports injuries and that he had no intention of breaking the law.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed Wednesday that US consular officials last saw Whelan on Nov. 16.
“We haven’t had contact since and we’ve asked about it. We pursue it every day,” she said in an interview with MSNBC.
