In this article, we will discuss the current case of former American Marine Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia for five years on espionage charges that the United States claims are unfounded. Whelan reported to CNN that he feels unsafe and claims he is being targeted by an official in a remote prison camp after being assaulted by another inmate last month.
Key Facts
Whelan reported that the official in the remote Mordovia prison camp, a Russian republic outside Moscow, is targeting him in retaliation for receiving a warning after he was assaulted by another inmate in the prison factory last month due to reported political disputes.
The former Marine explained to CNN that the unnamed prison official ordered other inmates to provoke fights with Whelan so that he could be disciplined, and that he was asked by other inmates on behalf of the official to pay $1,100 as a “protection” fee, adding that “the amount is the same as what is in my prison account, and the inmates would not know about it unless the official told them.”
Due to Whelan’s refusal to give money to the other inmates, the official ordered him to be moved to a different bedroom “which would expose me to criminal behavior and the possibility of being assaulted,” Whelan told CNN, noting that most inmates carry knives and use stimulants “that make them angry and violent – it’s a lethal combination when any kind of conflict arises, especially if the incident is provoked by a deputy guard.”
Whelan informed CNN that he feels threatened because he is American and due to the U.S. support for Israel in its war with Hamas, and prison officials told him he could be moved to isolation if he feared an attack.
Main Background
In November, Whelan was punched in the face in the prison sewing workshop after he asked another inmate blocking his path to move aside, according to a Reuters report. Whelan had to receive medical treatment after the incident. He was detained in a hotel in Moscow in December 2018 by Russian authorities who accused him of receiving state secrets and being a spy – allegations Whelan and the U.S. deny. Whelan was in Russia to attend a friend’s wedding, and he stated that an old friend gave him a flash drive that he believed contained holiday photos. The former Marine was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 on charges of receiving confidential information. Since then, Whelan and his family have sought U.S. assistance in negotiating his release from the Russian prison, and in April his family stated that a third prisoner swap that does not include Whelan “would be an unjustifiable betrayal,” according to a Wall Street Journal report. Whelan told the BBC that he knows the U.S. is working on proposals for a prisoner swap, “but it’s not what the Russians want. So they backslide and then advance, like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.”
Regarding future reading, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Russian-American journalist Alsou Kormasheva have also been detained in Russia. Gershkovich was arrested by Russian authorities in March on suspicion of espionage, and Kormasheva was detained in October for failing to register as a foreign agent.
Looking Ahead
For more information, you can read the following article: “Former American Marine Paul Whelan sentenced to 16 years in Russia on espionage charges” (Forbes).
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