Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine jailed in Russia, has been isolated in order to force him into falsely confessing to espionage, his twin brother said Tuesday.
“Every attempt at communicating with Paul is being hindered or outright blocked by the FSB investigator,” David Whelan wrote in an email to reporters, referring to the Federal Security Service, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB intelligence agency.
Detained in Moscow since December 2018, Mr. Whelan has been barred from using the telephone and sending and receiving mail while being held at the city’s notorious Lefortovo prison, effectively preventing U.S. officials from processing the paperwork needed to provide full consular support, his brother wrote.
“The FSB investigator will be spending the next three months continuing to isolate Paul and, according to his defense lawyers, seems likely to pressure him to confess,” the email said.
“We have encouraged Paul to stay strong and fight for his innocence, in messages we pass through his lawyers. But no American should be treated this way: wrongfully charged and in detention, while the Russian government has its way with the process without any response from the U.S. government,” the email said. “It is time for the U.S. State Department to act to protect Paul’s rights and demand that the Russian government free Paul.”
A spokesperson for the State Department told The Washington Times later Wednesday that the agency continues to monitor Mr. Whelan’s case closely and remains in regular contact with his family.
“We continue to urge the Russian government to ensure fair trial guarantees, including a fair and public hearing without undue delay, in accordance with its international legal obligations,” said the spokesperson.
“Russian authorities have obstructed some of our routine efforts in providing consular assistance. We have expressed our concerns through diplomatic channels,” said the spokesperson.
Mr. Whelan, a 48-year-old former private in the U.S. Marine Reserves, was arrested in Moscow while allegedly carrying a flash drive containing classified information, according to Russian officials. He was charged following his arrest under Article 276 of the Russian Penal Code for Espionage and faces up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted.
“During the past 2 months, the FSB investigator has failed to turn up any information to support the charges that he’s a spy,” his brother said Tuesday. “But the farce of a legal process continues.”
The State Department said last month that Russian officials have blocked Mr. Whelan from returning a completed copy of a Privacy Act Waiver that would allow the government to publically discuss his case.
His brother told The Washington Times on Wednesday that the issue remains unresolved.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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