Ex-US marine Paul Whelan is jailed for 16 years by a Russian court for stealing state secrets – as he holds up a sign saying ‘sham trial’ and ‘Paul’s life matters’
- Whelan, 50, has been in Russian custody since his arrest in December 2018
- He claims he was set up by a sting operation and plead not guilty to charges
- Whelan was caught with a flash drive containing classified information
A Russian court found ex-U.S. marine Paul Whelan guilty of spying for the United States on Monday and sentenced him to 16 years in jail after a closed trial which U.S. diplomats said was unfair and opaque.
Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, has been in custody since he was detained by agents from Russia´s Federal Security Service in a Moscow hotel room on December 28, 2018.
Moscow says Whelan, 50, was caught red-handed with a computer flash drive containing classified information.
Pictured: ex-U.S. marine Paul Whelan, who has been found guilty of spying on Russia for the United States, holds a sign as he stands inside a defendants’ cage during his verdict hearing in Moscow, Russia June 15, 2020
Whelan, who pleaded not guilty, said he was set up in a sting and had thought the drive, given to him by a Russian acquaintance, contained holiday photos.
U.S. diplomats have described the case as a ‘significant obstacle’ to improving already poor bilateral ties and have repeatedly said there is no evidence against him and asked Russia to release him.
State prosecutors, who accused Whelan of being at least a ranking U.S. military intelligence colonel, had asked the court to sentence Whelan to 18 years in a maximum security prison.