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Russian Prosecutors Seek 18 Year Sentence for Irish Passport Holder Accused of Espionage

Paul Whelan, a former US Marine who holds Irish, British, and Canadian passports, was arrested in Russia in December 2018 on charges of espionage. He denies the charges.

Irish Central, 27 MAY 2020

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Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018

Paul Whelan’s espionage trial in Russia concluded yesterday, May 25, and his legal team says they were “shocked” to learn that prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence of 18 years in prison.

Whelan, a former US Marine who holds passports for Ireland, Canada, and the UK, has been imprisoned in Russia for over 515 days on espionage charges, charges he denies. The 50-year-old is well-traveled and had visited Russia several times before his arrest.

One of Whelan's lawyers, Olga Karlova, told CBS News on Monday: "In his moving closing remarks he spoke about how much he loves Russia and Russian people, and he never wished them ill."

Regarding the sentence request, Whelan’s lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov told reporters on Monday after the conclusion of the trial: “The prosecution has made a very harsh demand, it’s absolutely unjustified and groundless. To be honest, we’re in shock.”

Of the prosecution's request, Whelan's twin brother David said: "It’s at the harsher end of the spectrum and also that he be put in a Russian regimen camp, a labor camp."

David added: "Apparently, he was very polite during the sentencing hearing. he didn’t react to the request from the prosecution. I guess the still hopes the judge will decide that based on the lack of any evidence the sentence request isn’t appropriate and we’ll see on June 15, whether that is true."

A team of Whelan's family and friends who are calling for his release said in an update on May 26 that "the prosecutor is asking for him to serve 18 years at a harsh penal colony. It's a ridiculous sentence for a ridiculous set-up; Paul is not a spy."

They added: "We can only hope common sense prevails."

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Paul Whelan's trial finished yesterday. The prosecutor is asking for him to serve 18 years at a harsh penal colony. It's a ridiculous sentence for a ridiculous set-up; Paul is not a spy. The judge will give the final verdict on June 15. We can only hope common sense prevails.

Here's what our brother David sent out to the media this morning:

The Russian prosecutor, Milana Digajeva, asked for a harsh sentence as she closed the government's case yesterday

The request shocked the defense lawyers, who are seeking an acquittal. Despite the lack of evidence, she believes Paul should spend 18 years in a "harsh regimen" labor camp. When we asked Paul's lawyers about the severe sentence request, they explained that Paul hadn't been "repentant" even though he is innocent.

It is hard to repent something you haven't done. Paul was falsely arrested and wrongfully imprisoned. The FSB pressed Paul in the last days of December 2018, after his arrest and before anyone was allowed to see him, to confess. He didn't. Paul has maintained his innocence throughout. He did so when he addressed the court yesterday. Now the prosecution wants him to pay as heavy a price as possible for his innocence.

The trial is the milestone, not the sentence. The US Embassy in Moscow has done incredible work supporting Paul. Ambassadors Huntsman and Sullivan both spoke out about the injustice being done to Paul and the damage to US-Russia relations.

We expect that the US government will finally act to bring this mockery of justice, this abuse of an American citizen, to an end. We hope the Russian Federation will, likewise, see Paul's release - through clemency or some other means - as an opportunity to help rebuild the US-Russia relationship.

John Sullivan, the US Ambassador to Russia, has slammed the trial and its proceedings. According to a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Moscow, Ambassador Sullivan said on May 25 that Whelan's trial was "a mockery of justice:"

After being denied a visit with Whelan in April despite visiting him three weeks prior, Ambassador Sullivan said in a statement: “The entire case against Paul – the circumstances of his arrest, total lack of evidence, and ongoing imprisonment – is not only morally wrong and legally suspect but represents a significant obstacle in the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship.

“The Russian government needs to release Paul from Lefortovo prison and let him go home.”

Later, on April 28, Ambassador Sullivan said in a video “where is the evidence itself?”

A website supporting Whelan's release says that Whelan was born in Canada to British parents and that his grandparents were Irish. He and his family moved to the US in the 1970s and settled in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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Paul Whelan and his parents during their visit to Russia in 2009 (Free Paul Whelan / Facebook)

In December 2018, Whelan was arrested in Moscow on charges of espionage, which he claims is an "absurd political kidnapping."

Whelan's lawyers assert that he was framed when he was given a flash drive that he thought contained holiday photos, but actually contained classified information.

Last June, Whelan appealed to President Trump, as well as authorities in Dublin, Ottawa, and London, for help in his case

The court is expected to announce Whelan’s sentence on June 15.

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