Former US Marine sentenced on spying charges in Russia

A Moscow court on Monday sentenced Paul Whelan, a U.S. businessman and former Marine, to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.

Whelan has maintained his innocence since his December 2018 arrest and insisted the charges were political, The Associated Press reported.

Lawyers for Whelan, who was in Moscow for a friend’s wedding at the time of his arrest, have said his detention and conviction were a setup and that he was unknowingly handed a flash drive containing classified information. His brother David Whelan vowed to appeal the verdict.

“The court’s decision merely completes the final piece of this broken judicial process,” David Whelan said, according to the AP. “We had hoped that the court might show some independence but, in the end, Russian judges are political, not legal, entities. We look to the U.S. government to immediately take steps to bring Paul home.”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded Paul Whelan’s immediate release, saying in a statement on Monday that the U.S. is “outraged” by his conviction after a “secret trial, with secret evidence, and without appropriate allowances for defense witnesses.”

“We have serious concerns that Mr. Whelan was deprived of the fair trial guarantees that Russia is required to provide him in accordance with its international human rights obligations,” Pompeo said.

“The treatment of Paul Whelan at the hands of Russian authorities has been appalling. Russia failed to provide Mr. Whelan with a fair hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal; and during his detention has put his life at risk by ignoring his long-standing medical condition; and unconscionably kept him isolated from family and friends,” he added.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan also condemned the verdict and the proceedings.

“This secret trial in which no evidence was produced is an egregious violation of human rights and international legal norms,” Sullivan said in a press conference in which he demanded Paul Whelan’s immediate release. “His conviction is a mockery of justice. The world is watching.”

Ambassador Sullivan: Today, #PaulWhelan was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison in Russia. This secret trial in which no evidence was produced is an egregious violation of human rights and international legal norms. @mfa_russia pic.twitter.com/cPCh3Sflfn

— Rebecca Ross (@USEmbRuPress) June 15, 2020

Vladimir Zherebenkov, Paul Whelan’s lawyer, said his client had been told during his detention that he would be involved in a prisoner swap with the U.S., adding that Paul Whelan would not object to formally petitioning Russia to pardon him, Reuters reported.

The conviction comes as Moscow has called on the U.S. to secure the release of two Russian nationals, convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout and pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was sentenced to 20 years on charges of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine in the U.S.

— This report was updated at 8:15 a.m.