Paul Whelan: Russian court sentences former US marine to 16 years hard labour on disputed spy charges

British cousin calls on Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab to ‘make a stand’

Paul Whelan holds up a message while waiting for a verdict in a Moscow court (AFP/Getty)

A Russian court sentenced Paul Whelan, a former American marine, to sixteen years in a prison colony on Monday, in a decision that laid bare continuing tensions between Moscow and Washington.

Speaking on the steps outside Moscow City Court, US ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan said he was outraged by the verdict. The case was a “mockery of justice”, he added, which would not have “a good impact” on bilateral relations.

Whelan, who also has Canadian, Irish, and British citizenship, was arrested in his hotel room during a trip to Moscow in December 2018. Russian authorities claim he was caught “red-handed” with a USB flash drive containing the names of secret agents. Mr Whelan denies any knowledge of the data and says he was set-up by a Russian security services agent he had believed was a friend.

The closed trial has raised questions from the start. Assigned a lawyer with historic connections to the security services, Mr Whelan was denied the opportunity to mount any significant defence. Prosecutors also failed to produce any evidence of espionage beyond the disputed USB disk.

Many security professionals believe the former marine was taken as collateral in negotiations to free Russian agents being held in US prisons. In particular, Moscow has been angling for the release of Viktor Bout, a convicted arms dealer, and Konstantin Yaroshenko, a pilot sentenced to 21 for smuggling cocaine.

On Monday, just before the verdict was handed, Whelan dismissed his trial as a “political charade”. He said had fallen victim to a “political hostage-taking”.

With conviction rates running at over 99 per cent in Russian trials, there was never much doubt how the trial would end once it had begun. In the event, the punishment was just less than the 18 years in a penal colony demanded by prosecutors.

In comments to journalists, lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov said his team intended to appeal the verdict, yet his own thoughts were focussed elsewhere.

“When we are talking about spies, the recognised practice is to do an exchange,” Mr Zherebenkov said.

Remarkably, the regime-connected lawyer suggested his client may even have been dealt a “humane” hand: “Russia gave Whelan 16 years, but [Viktor] Bout got 25 years and [Konstantin] Yaroshenko got 20.”

Speaking with The Independent, Paul Whelan’s British cousin dismissed the trial as a sham, and called on the British government to condemn it publicly. Up until now, the US has been leading efforts on the former marine’s behalf, with the UK taking a back-seat.

“It’s about time prime minister Boris Johnson and foreign secretary Dominic Raab make their positions known,” Mark Whelan said.

“We need that not only to help get Paul free but to make sure other independent British people travelling to Russia don’t suffer the same fate.”