Russia sentences former US marine Paul Whelan to 16 years in prison for espionage

MOSCOW-(MaraviPost)-A Russian court has sentenced former United States marine Paul Whelan to 16 years in a maximum security prison colony on espionage charges.

The Moscow City Court’s verdict on Friday was condemned by the US envoy to Russia who said it was based on a “secret trial in which no evidence was produced”.

Whelan stood in the courtroom defendant’s cage with a sign that read “Sham trial!” and called on the US president to intervene.

He was accused of having obtained classified Russian state information, the nature of which has not been disclosed.

US Ambassador John Sullivan, who was present at the court in Moscow, slammed the proceedings as an “egregious violation of human rights and international legal norms”, a statement by the US embassy said.Rebecca Ross@USEmbRuPress

Ambassador Sullivan: The United States demands that U.S. citizen #PaulWhelan be released immediately. His conviction is a mockery of justice. The world is watching. @mfa_russia151:58 AM – Jun 15, 2020Twitter Ads info and privacySee Rebecca Ross’s other Tweets

Whelan, 50, has been in Russian custody for the past year and a half.

A flash drive and documents were confiscated from Whelan while he was arrested on a trip to Moscow in December 2018. No further details about the evidence have been revealed.

Whelan has insisted that he is innocent. His family has said he was visiting Russia to attend a wedding.

Appeal expected

Whelan’s brother David said lawyers would appeal against the verdict that he denounced as political, adding in a statement that “the court’s decision merely completes the final piece of this broken judicial process”.

“We had hoped that the court might show some independence but, in the end, Russian judges are political, not legal, entities,” the statement said. “We look to the US government to immediately take steps to bring Paul home.”

Whelan, born in Canada to British parents, is also a citizen of Canada, Britain and Ireland. He was employed by US auto parts supplier BorgWarner when he was detained.

He underwent surgery two weeks ago for an abdominal hernia, state media reported. The US embassy said it was an “emergency surgery”, performed because the condition had become “life-threatening”.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

Lloyd M’bwana

I’m a Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resource (LUANAR)’s Environmental Science graduate (Malawi) and UK’s ICM Journalism and Media studies scholar. Also University of Malawi (UNIMA) Library Science Scholar. I have been The Malawi Country Manager and duty editor for the Maravi Post since 2019. My duty editor’s job is to ensure that the news is covered properly, that it is delivered on time, and that it is created to the standards set out in the editorial guidelines of the Maravi Post.