US citizen Paul Whelan, a former marine jailed in Russia on espionage charges the United States says is false, was seen in a rare video broadcast Monday by a Kremlin-backed news outlet.
Arrested in 2018 in Russia, Whelan was convicted of espionage in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony in Mordovia, a Russian region known since Soviet times for its prison colonies.
He has denied the allegations.
The Biden administration has designated Whelan as “wrongfully detained,” a legal term that means the charges are unfounded and he was targeted primarily because he is an American citizen.
Dressed in a black prison uniform and matching hat, Whelan appeared in different parts of the prison with other inmates, sewing with a sewing machine and while in the cafeteria in footage released by Russia’s state-controlled network Russia Today (RT).
“Today is the first time I’ve seen what he really looks like since June 2020,” his brother David Whelan said in an email.
He said Russia Today had appeared at the prison in May to film Whelan and when he refused to take part, prison staff retaliated against him.
Paul Whelan was seen in a rare video broadcast on Monday by the Kremlin-backed news channel.Twitter/Russia Today
Whelan was seen using a sewing machine in prison.Twitter/Russia Today
In the video, Whelan tells the questioner that he will not answer his question.
The Biden administration has conducted two prisoner exchanges with Russia amid frozen bilateral relations over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Whelan is part of both.
The video shows Whelan in the prison cafeteria.Twitter/Russia Today
Whelan was dressed in a black prison uniform and a matching hat.Twitter/Russia Today
In April 2022, Russia released former US Marine Trevor Reed, convicted there in 2019, in exchange for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko.
In a December 2022 prisoner swap with Russia, Washington secured the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner in exchange for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout.
This month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Whelan.
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, was arrested in 2018 in Russia and convicted of espionage in 2020.REUTERS
The Biden administration has designated Whelan as “wrongfully detained.” AP
The administration has repeatedly said it is doing everything it can to bring him home.
Russia also arrested American citizen and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges that carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
He was arrested in March in the Ural city of Yekaterinburg.
Gershkovich, who has denied the charges, appealed on Saturday against the latest extension of his pre-trial detention in Moscow.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
