Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine jailed in Russia, claims he was immobilized for days as a result of being injured at a Moscow prison recently, his twin brother said Wednesday.
David Whelan mentioned the injury in an email sent to reporters eight months to the day since his brother — a 49-year-old Michigan resident who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish citizenship — was arrested in Moscow for alleged espionage.
“Media often ask how Paul’s health is,” the email said. “I can only ever answer based on the latest information from consular visits, which is our only reliable source of his current state of health.
“The gaps between the consular visits are a period of uncertainty. It was during the latest gap — between the US visit on August 1 and the Canadian visit on August 22 — that Paul was injured,” the message continued. “He says the injury on August 9 left him immobilized for 4 days.”
Olga Karlova, a defense lawyer in the case, said earlier this month that her client had been recently visited by doctors in prison after complaining about a hernia, the Detroit Free Press previously reported; Vladimir Zherebenkov, another attorney for the alleged spy, said doctors examined both a hernia and injuries to his left shoulder, Russian media reported.
“He was moving to another cell and they force(d) him to lift his own items and take it with him,” Ms. Karlova told the Free Press last week. “These items were heavy enough to make his hernia worse.”
More recently, the former Marine complained about his health during a detention hearing held Friday in Moscow. He was subsequently examined in court by paramedics, told he did not require hospitalization and ordered to remain behind bars for another four months.
“Paul faces a waiting game to see how long before his condition deteriorates enough that the prison allows him to have surgery,” his brother wrote. “We hope he is able to stay strong until he is delivered from this wrongful imprisonment. Justice will only be served when he is released and sent home to the United States.”
Russian investigators have claimed that the American was arrested while in possession of a flash drive containing classified information. He has denied spying and has claimed that he is being prosecuted in response to the U.S. government imposing sanctions on Russia.
Addressing his worsening health, U.S. and Russian diplomats offered vastly different reactions over the weekend.
“Paul Whelan’s health is at risk, and yet Lefortovo prison officials refuse to provide medical records or an independent medical examination,” Andrea Kaplan, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, said Saturday. “It’s time to put an end to this and allow Paul to go home to get proper medical treatment.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry fired back: “There are millions of prisoners in the United States, of whom over 50 are Russian citizens, and many are ill,” state media reported.
Neither the U.S. State Department of Russian Foreign Ministry immediately answered messages requesting comment.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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