Ambulance called to Russian courthouse for accused spy Paul Whelan
Accused spy Paul Whelan says he entered Russia on BorgWarner visa.
An ambulance was called to a Moscow courtroom Friday morning for Michigan businessman Paul Whelan, who has been held in a Russian prison for eight months on allegations of espionage.
Whelan, 49, of Novi told the court that a guard at Lefortovo Prison injured him, and that he needed medical treatment.
"He was moving to another cell and they force(d) him to lift his own items and take it with him," his English-speaking lawyer, Olga Karlova, told the Free Press in an email message. "These items were heavy enough to make his hernia worse. We have submitted an appeal, which was supported by Paul, to make an operation on his hernia."
The judge stopped the court proceedings Friday so Whelan could be evaluated, Karlova said.
"His hernia is constantly painful," she said. "He said it to the judge and she decided to call the ambulance. Paul was examined in my presence. Every ... word was translated to the paramedic. She proved his hernia is painful, but there is no pinching at the moment so he needs a planned operation."
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Whelan had initially scheduled surgery to repair the hernia when he returned to the United States in January from his trip to Russia, his twin brother, David Whelan, told the Free Press last week. He'd traveled to Moscow to attend the wedding of a friend.
But Whelan, a former Marine who worked in global security for auto-parts supplier BorgWarner, didn't make it home in time for that scheduled surgery because he was arrested Dec. 28 in his room at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) alleges Whelan was caught with classified information on a flash drive. But Whelan insists he is not a spy. He said he thought his friend had given him vacation photos, not classified information, on that flash drive.
After he was examined in court Friday, Whelan was ordered to continue to be held at Lefortovo Prison for several more months. If he is convicted of spying, he could serve up to 20 years in prison.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine accused of spying in Moscow at the end of 2018, stands in a cage while waiting for a detention hearing in a courtroom in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine accused of spying in Moscow at the end of 2018, stands in a cage while waiting for a detention hearing in a courtroom in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. (Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko, AP)
In a video posted to YouTube Friday by Ruptly, a Russian news video service, his lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said he is hopeful Whelan will be exonerated.
"More and more information surfaces that shows it was a provocation," Zherebenkov told reporters outside the court. "It was a set up, even though the investigation committee does not agree."
He said Whelan remains in high spirits and is handling the stress of his ongoing incarceration well.
"But you know, there are things he does not understand," he said. "Our justice system is different. The way the investigation is carried out is also different than what he is accustomed to. It’s been eight months already, so quite unusual for him.
"And also he lives in conditions which are very much unusual for him. He is deprived of things he is accustomed to. He has only one hour for walking around. ... He wants justice. Unfortunately, justice comes not that often."
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine, left, who was arrested for alleged spying in Moscow at the end of 2018, is escorted by Federal Security Service officers to a courtroom in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine, left, who was arrested for alleged spying in Moscow at the end of 2018, is escorted by Federal Security Service officers to a courtroom in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. (Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko, AP)
Zherebenkov said it's likely that the final charges will be presented in the next two weeks. Then, his attorneys will examine the documents, work to overcome the translation issues and also seek surgery for Whelan.
"By December, I think we will be 80% ready" for a trial, Zherebenkov said. "Of course, it all depends on Paul’s condition."
Whelan holds four passports. He is an American citizen who was born in Canada to British parents and Irish grandparents. The consulates in all four countries have said they are working to support him.
"There remains no reason for his arrest or continued detention," his brother David Whelan said in an email last week. "No trial. No evidence. ...
"Paul has said that he keeps up his morale in part due to his Marine Corps SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, and escape) training. He has indicated in letters home that, so far, it has helped him maintain his hopes for release, safeguard his personal security in Lefortovo prison, and withstand the coercion the FSB has engaged in to get a false confession.
"... As the months drag on, we hope that a diplomatic solution will be found to bring Paul home."
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