Paul Whelan, a former Marine imprisoned in Russia on spurious espionage allegations, was seen in a rare video broadcast by a Kremlin-backed TV station on Monday.
In the video that the Russian state-controlled network Russia Today (RT) released, Whelan can be seen wearing the prison’s black uniform and matching headgear in several locations inside a penitentiary colony in Mordovia, stitching at a sewing machine and while at the cafeteria, alongside other convicts.
The footage also shows Whelan informing his questioner that he would not respond to his queries. “You understand when I say that I can’t do an interview, which means I can’t answer any questions”, he said.
The U.S. citizen was found guilty of spying in 2020 and given a 16-year term in an infamous prison located some 500 km east of the Moscow region.
Rare new video has emerged showing detained American Paul Whelan, who has been held in Russia for more than four years, inside his prison camp.
At one point in the video, he tells a reporter from the Kremlin-backed media outlet, “You understand when I say that I can’t do an… pic.twitter.com/PXYWbW03kH
— Yasmina (@yasminalombaert) August 29, 2023
According to the Biden administration, Whelan is “wrongfully detained,” which is a legal designation that denotes that the accusations against him are unfounded and that he was principally singled out because he is an American citizen.
The U.S. inmate talked over the phone earlier this month with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who assured him that the administration is making every effort to bring him back.
Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter and American citizen, is also being detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in jail.
