Russian Court Sends Back Case On Whelan’s Prison Transfer To U.S.

By: - September 14, 2021

Source link

The Supreme Court of Russia’s Mordovia region has decided not to hear, at least for now, a request from Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who is serving a lengthy prison term on espionage charges he calls trumped-up, to be transferred to the United States to serve out the rest of his sentence.

The court said in a statement on September 14 that it had decided to send the request back to the Justice Ministry “to obtain necessary information in accordance with clauses of an international agreement of the Russian Federation, as well as for preliminary coordination [of the issue] with a competent organ of the United States.”

Whelan’s defense team initially asked the Moscow City Court to consider their client’s request to be handed over to the United States to finish serving his sentence. But the court refused to consider the matter over jurisdictional issues and forwarded it to Mordovia, where Whelan is currently serving his term.

Mordovia is a region located about 350 kilometers east of Moscow known historically as the location of Russia’s toughest prisons, including Soviet-era labor camps for political prisoners.

Whelan was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison in May 2020 following a trial that was condemned by the United States as a “mockery of justice.”

A holder of U.S., Canadian, British, and Irish passports, Whelan has rejected the espionage charges and accused his prison guards of mistreatment.

The United States has criticized the Russian authorities for their “shameful treatment” of Whelan.

Whelan was head of global security at a U.S. auto-parts supplier when he was arrested. He and his relatives insist he visited Russia to attend a wedding.

He is one of several Americans to face trial in Russia in recent years on charges that their families, supporters, and in some cases the U.S. government, have said are trumped-up.

Another former U.S. Marine, Trevor Reed, is serving a nine-year prison term in Mordovia as well. He was sentenced in July 2020 on charges of assaulting two Russian police officers.

The U.S. government and Reed deny the allegations and questioned the fairness of his judicial proceedings.

Reports have surfaced several times of a possible swap involving Whelan, Reed, and two Russians — arms dealer Viktor Bout and drug smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko — who are serving lengthy sentences in U.S. prisons.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov said on August 25 that Washington’s unspecified “unconstructive” position made a prisoner swap unlikely.

  • RSS WND

    • Pub stripped of award because of Nazi armband that soldier brought back from WWII
      (CORNWALL LIVE) – A Cornish pub that won a coveted Pub of the Year award has been stripped of the accolade after it emerged it had Nazi memorabilia on display. The Hole in the Wall in Bodmin was named the best pub in the county by CAMRA Kernow – in part due to its unique… […]
    • Distillery using groundbreaking tech to create limited-edition whiskey
      (FOX NEWS) – For two years, Diageo analyzed various Scotch whiskies using machine algorithms. Diageo, an alcohol beverage company, invested $230 million into a portfolio of whiskey tourism projects. A portion of this lump sum was dedicated to the exploration of whiskey maturation using technology called SmokeDNAi. Using SmokeDNAi, teams tested and analyzed the flavor… […]
    • WATCH: Tucker Carlson: How will AI affect work?
      Mike Rowe, still one of the best guys in the world. pic.twitter.com/06WduOhPuB — Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) March 28, 2024 For 25 years, WND has boldly brought you the news that really matters. If you appreciate our Christian journalists and their uniquely truthful reporting and analysis, please help us by becoming a WND Insider! Content created… […]
    • MSNBC: 1 man's 'election denier' is another man's TV host
      MSNBC, the "news" outfit on which the Rev. Al Sharpton has a show, briefly hired former Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, at $300,000 per year, to serve as an on-air pundit. Why did the rabidly anti-Trump, anti-Republican network make her the offer? MSNBC likely did so because 2024 is an election year; McDaniel was… […]
    • Dems' weakest case against Trump is first to go to trial
      Donald Trump was first indicted nearly a year ago, on April 4, 2023, when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced charges against the former president over a nondisclosure agreement Trump used to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels, with whom he had apparently had a brief sexual encounter. Bragg, an elected Democrat, won… […]
    • White House adds hair-sniffing contest to Easter Egg Roll!
      It's about time again for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. What the resurrection of Jesus has to do with eggs, chocolate candy, jelly beans or peeps is beyond me. Jesus did not arise from the dead and walk through the walls of the tomb holding an Easter basket and looking for eggs laid… […]
    • Say it, media: DEMOCRATS are prosecuting Trump
      On March 25, "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart uncorked a typical not-so-funny sermon about how Donald Trump overvaluing real estate properties was not a "victimless crime." Trump has been found liable for fraud despite no banker or financier ever claiming Trump victimized them. Then the New York Post reported talk-show host Tim Pool tweeted that… […]
    • Our subsidiarity vs. their intersectionality: How we win
      In their weekly podcast, Hollywood veteran Loy Edge and longtime WND columnist Jack Cashill skirt the everyday politics downstream and travel merrily upstream to the source of our extraordinary culture. The post Our subsidiarity vs. their intersectionality: How we win appeared first on WND.
    • The shocking beliefs of America's powerful 'elites'
      It is becoming increasingly clear that some of America's most serious problems can be traced back to our colleges and universities – or at least the ones educating the country's most powerful people. The Vietnam War era aside, it has traditionally been uncommon for events at universities to make national headlines. Absent something extraordinary, like… […]
    • Who is really behind Moscow terror attack?
      Was the Islamic State (ISIS) behind the Crocus City Hall terror attack in Moscow that killed 139 and wounded 182 on March 22, 2024, or not? The Islamic State did claim the attack, and the Western mainstream is agreed that the terror group was, indeed, behind it. On March 25, White House press secretary Karine… […]
  • Enter My WorldView