Former US Marine Paul Whelan (53), who is in a Russian prison over charges of spying, has told BBC that he feels “abandoned” and betrayed by his home country. Whelan has been handed a 16-year jail sentence for spying and has been in prison since 2018. US government says spying charges against Whelan don’t have merit.
Whelan is serving sentence in a prison in Mordavia, a Russian region infamous for its harsh jails. Mordavia is about 400 kilometres (250 miles) southeast of Moscow.
A prisoner swap was negotiated recently between Russia and the US. Whelan was left out.
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“They’ve basically abandoned me here,” he told BBC.
“I’m extremely concerned.”
“With each case, my case is going to the back of the line. They’ve kind of just left me in the dust. And at this point, this juncture, it’s very concerning.”
Whelan holds UK, Irish and Canadian passports as well. At the time of his arrest in 2018, Whelan worked in security for a US company that made vehicle parts.
He has consistently denied charges against him and has said that evidence against him was falsified.
According to BBC, Whelan now works in a prison factory stitching work overalls and hats and his prison barracks are unheated.n
His family said in November that Whelan was assaulted by a new prisoner and was “hit in the face”. This broke his glasses.
Earlier this month Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he wanted Russia and the US to find a solution to release Whelan and Evan Gershkovich. The latter is a Wall Street Journal reporter.
The case of Evan Gershkovich
Gershkovich, who previously worked for AFP was arrested In Yekaterinburg in March on spying allegations. He was on a reporting trip.
A Moscow court ruled on December 14 that he will be held in detention until January 30. If convicted, he faces 20 years in prison.
“There are contacts on this issue and dialogue is ongoing, but it’s not straightforward,” Putin said during his end-of-year press conference on December 14.
“I hope we will find a solution. But the US side should also hear us and make a decision that will suit the Russian Federation.”
(With inputs from agencies)
