Ex-US marine jailed by Russia on spying charges hopes for prisoner swap: Report
MOSCOW: Former US marine Paul Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian jail final week on spying costs, hopes to be freed as a part of a prisoner swap with the United States, his lawyer mentioned on Tuesday, Interfax information company reported. Whelan will due to this fact not enchantment his espionage conviction however will as an alternative maintain consultations with Western diplomats in regards to the deserves of asking President Vladimir Putin to pardon him, the lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, was quoted as saying.
Whelan, who holds the US, British, Canadian and Irish passports, was detained by brokers from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in a Moscow resort room on Dec. 28, 2018. Russia says Whelan, 50, was caught with a pc flash drive containing categorised data.
Whelan, who pleaded not responsible, mentioned he was arrange in a sting operation and had thought the drive, given to him by a Russian acquaintance, contained vacation photographs.
“Today we met him (Whelan) in the detention facility and after a discussion it was decided not to appeal the verdict because he doesn`t believe in Russian justice,” Interfax quoted Zherebenkov as saying. “He hopes that he will be swapped for Russians in the near future who have been convicted in the United States.”
Zherebenkov has beforehand mentioned he believes Moscow desires to change Whelan for 2 Russians held in U.S. prisons – arms seller Viktor Bout and a pilot named Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was convicted of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine. Putin`s spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned on Tuesday the Kremlin had famous Whelan`s choice to not enchantment his conviction, however declined to remark additional.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned final week after the court docket sentenced Whelan to 16 years in jail that the decision had brought about outrage in Washington. The U.S. ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, known as his trial “a mockery of justice”.
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