American Willun Sentenced to 16 Years in Russia for Espionage Drops Appeal

American Paul Willen sentenced to 16 years in prison in Russia on espionage charges

[Source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The defense team announced on the 23rd (local time) that Paul Whelan, an American sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges in Russia, has given up his appeal.

According to TASS and other sources, Whelan's lawyer Olga Karlova said, "I visited and returned from the Lefortovo detention center (Moscow) where Whelan is imprisoned," adding, "During the meeting, Whelan made the final decision to abandon the appeal and completed the related application."

Karlova added, "When the first verdict is announced on the 26th of this month, we will decide together with the client whether to submit a pardon application."

Previously, Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, visited Moscow in December 2018 to attend the wedding of a fellow Marine deployed to Iraq who had married a Russian woman. At that time, he was arrested by the local intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), on espionage charges.

Local media reported that he was arrested by the FSB just minutes after receiving a USB containing a list of Russian officials classified as confidential. The Russian prosecution claimed that Whelan engaged in espionage activities for U.S. intelligence agencies.

On the other hand, the defense team argued that Whelan went out to receive a USB containing photographic materials after being told he would be given photos related to his visit to Russia, and was arrested then.

However, the Moscow City Court, which has been hearing the case since the end of March, ruled on the 15th that Whelan was guilty of espionage charges.

The defense team is reportedly planning to pursue a prisoner exchange involving Whelan and two Russians currently serving sentences in the U.S., Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko. Since the investigation process, there have been reports speculating that Whelan would be exchanged for Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving time in the U.S., and Yaroshenko, a former civilian pilot.

Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison in the U.S. in November 2011 for illegal arms trafficking and is currently serving his sentence, while Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in prison in September 2011 on drug trafficking charges.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.