MOSCOW, Oct 23 — A Russian court was set to rule today on extending the detention to the end of the year of a US citizen accused of espionage.
Paul Whelan, who also has Irish, Canadian and British citizenship, was arrested in December last year for allegedly receiving state secrets. He risks up to 20 years in prison if convicted of espionage.
Moscow’s Lefortovo district court at a hearing starting at 9:30 am (0630 GMT), was set to rule on extending his detention in prison by a further two months, Whelan’s brother said in a message to media.
Russia is likely to keep him in custody until he goes on trial given the severity of the charge.
His Russian lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov said in September that the investigation into his case is now completed and Whelan and his lawyers are reading the files.
Whelan, a former US marine, maintains he has been framed and that he took a USB drive from an acquaintance thinking it contained holiday photos.
He has used court hearings to appeal to journalists in English, saying that he is being mistreated in prison, not given full translation of documents and rarely given access to his lawyer.
The US House of Representatives yesterday agreed a resolution calling for Whelan’s release.
His Russian lawyer has said he needs an operation on a hernia. His brother, David Whelan, said in a statement on Tuesday that his “medical condition continues to be of great concern”. — AFP
