Washington, 28 December 2023 (dpa/MIA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday accused Moscow of using US citizens as "political pawns" on the fifth anniversary of Paul Whelan's imprisonment in Russia.

"December 28 marks five years since Russian authorities wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan," Blinken said in a statement.

Blinken said that, following "a secret trial behind closed doors," Whelan "spent years laboring in a Russian penal colony" where he has "faced assault from other prisoners and harassment from Russian state-run media."

The US citizen was convicted of alleged espionage in 2018.

"For far too long, Paul and his family have suffered the consequences of the Russian government's decision to wrongfully detain U.S. citizens. Using people as political pawns is unacceptable," Blinken said, adding that the US government was continuing to work to bring Whelan home.

Earlier in December, Washington said that Moscow rejected a new proposal for the release of Whelan and fellow US citizen Evan Gershkovich, who is also detained in Russia.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Washington made "a new and significant proposal to secure Paul and Evan's release," but the offer "was rejected by Russia." Miller did not provide details of the proposal, but clarified the request was rejected rather than ignored.

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal correspondent, was detained at the end of March while on a reporting trip in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals.

He is accused of collecting secret information on Russia's military-industrial complex for US agencies. Gershkovich and his employer deny that he was involved in any espionage.

A Russian court has recently extended the journalist's pre-trial detention until January 30.

Photo: MIA archive