U.S. Urges Russia to Grant Regular Access to Imprisoned Ex-Marine, According to Reuters

Title: U.S. Calls for Consular Access to Detained Former Marine in Russia

Date: February 2023

The United States urged Russia on Thursday to permit regular visits by U.S. officials to a former Marine facing espionage charges. This call follows a last-minute postponement of a scheduled visit by U.S. consular officials last month.

Paul Whelan, who also holds British, Canadian, and Irish citizenship, was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service on December 28 and accused of spying, charges he firmly denies. Whelan’s family asserts that he was in Moscow to attend a wedding.

U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Palladino reported that there have been two consular visits with Whelan, the latest occurring on February 2. Additionally, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman met with Whelan a month prior.

Palladino mentioned that consular officials were slated to meet with Whelan on January 17, but the Russian foreign affairs ministry later informed them that the visit would be postponed at the request of investigators. He emphasized, "We take seriously our right to visit detained American citizens regularly."

The spokesman reiterated U.S. concerns through diplomatic channels, urging Russia to uphold its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations as well as the bilateral consular agreement between the two nations to grant consular access to Whelan.

Whelan appeared in a Moscow court on January 22, where a judge denied his bail request. If convicted of espionage, he could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

Reports indicate that Whelan was detained after receiving a thumb drive allegedly containing a list of employees from a secret Russian state agency.

His attorney, Vladimir Zherebenkov, stated that Whelan was misled before his arrest, believing that the thumb drive given to him in a hotel contained personal holiday photos rather than classified information.