U.S. has Butina.
Wanna motion to enjoin?
I will show you your exculpatory evidence if you show me mine.
I bet that would really piss off the United Nations.
#FreeMariaButina
Accused spy Paul Whelan says he's being threatened, denied showers in Russian prison
Michigan businessman Paul Whelan told reporters in a Russian courtroom Friday that he's being threatened, abused and harassed at Moscow's Lefortovo Detention Facility, and that his imprisonment on an espionage charge is akin to political kidnapping.
A judge extended the pre-trial phase of Whelan's detention for three more months on Friday, which means Whelan, 49, of Novi is to remain in prison at least until Aug. 29.
“This is typical prisoner of war isolation technique," Whelan told journalists in the courtroom, the Associated Press reported. "They’re trying to run me down so that I will talk to them."
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| Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, center, who was arrested in Moscow at the end of last year, waits for a hearing in a court in Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 24, 2019. The American was detained at the end of December for alleged spying. |
Whelan, an ex-Marine who was the director of global security for the Auburn Hills-based auto supplier BorgWarner, said he was in Russia in December for the wedding of a friend when he was arrested in his hotel and accused of spying.
He told the court on Friday that there was "absolutely no legitimacy" to the case against him, and said his imprisonment is retaliation for U.S. sanctions.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) alleges Whelan was caught in possession of a flash drive containing classified information. Whelan has told his lawyers that the flash drive came from a Russian friend, and that he was under the impression that it only contained photos of the friend's hometown.
Whelan, who was born in Canada to British parents and grew up in Ann Arbor, holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports. If he's convicted of spying, he could be imprisoned for up to 20 years.
More: Mysterious tale of Paul Whelan, accused of spying in Russia, steeped in contradictions
“We of course remained concerned by the lack of evidence in his case and the secretary is committed to continuing to raise this at the highest levels,” said Morgan Ortagus, a State Department spokeswoman.
“We of course remained concerned by the lack of evidence in his case and the secretary is committed to continuing to raise this at the highest levels,” said Morgan Ortagus, a State Department spokeswoman.
Paul Whelan's twin brother, David Whelan, told the Free Press that he believes his brother was targeted by Russian authorities because he was an American businessman.
"Unfortunately, the FSB appears to have miscalculated whatever result they helped to extort out of Paul's false arrest," he said. "Paul has shared notes through his lawyer that he believes his arrest has some sanctions-related element, but we don't know why he says that."
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