Elizabeth has been invited to participate in a meeting today at the United Nations to highlight the issue of arbitrary detention.  Nations like Russia who use hostage-taking instead of international law and diplomacy should be held accountable for their actions.  We are grateful to Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield for inviting our family to participate.  We will never forgive nor forget what the Russian government has done to Paul during the 1,578 days of captivity he has suffered so far.

Paul was able to speak to Ambassador Tracy last Thursday in a phone call from the Embassy to his labor camp [4/20/2023].  In that hour-long call, he was able to express his concerns about his ongoing detention by Russia. Paul also communicated very clearly his concern lest the U.S. government bring home other American citizens from Russia and leave him behind again.

Elizabeth was also given a briefing by White House officials last Thursday [4/20/2023]. While it was inconclusive, we appreciate that they have heard our concerns.  It is not at all clear that they taken the steps to create opportunities to bring Paul home but we will continue to watch and hope for that activity.