The Biden administration issued sanctions against Russia's Federal Security Service and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in response to their continued detention of Americans.
Administration officials announced the decision on Thursday, the first time the United States government is acting on the authority provided by an executive order President Joe Biden signed last July that permits agencies to sanction those it believes are responsible for the wrongful detention of Americans.
The work behind these sanctions predates the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in late March on espionage charges that the U.S. government believes to be unjustified. Gershkovich, 31, was denied bail last week and ordered to remain in the capital's Lefortovo prison, where he'll be in pretrial detention until May 29.
Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan, a fierce advocate fighting for her brother, called for his release at the United Nations earlier this week alongside U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the lead U.S. envoy at the United Nations, even with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in attendance.
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