The household of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia, stated Wednesday that he had been attacked by a fellow prisoner within the labor camp the place he has been serving a 16-year sentence on what the USA says are fabricated charges of espionage.
Mr. Whelan advised his household in a telephone name that he had been engaged on a manufacturing line on the jail on Tuesday when one other prisoner hit him within the face, based on a press release from David Whelan, Paul’s brother. The assailant then tried to hit him once more, he advised his household, however he “stood up to block the second hit,” and different prisoners helped intervene.
Mr. Whelan described the assault as “relatively minor,” the assertion stated, however was afraid that such assaults might happen at any time and escalate into extra severe ones, given “various sharp implements” accessible within the jail workshops.
“Paul is a target because he is an American, and anti-American sentiment is not uncommon among the other prisoners,” the household’s assertion stated.
Mr. Whelan, 53, a former U.S. Marine, was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and is being held at a high-security labor camp known as IK-17, about an eight-hour drive east of Moscow.
The State Division stated in a press release on Wednesday that officers on the U.S. Embassy in Moscow had talked to Mr. Whelan on the telephone and that “we understand he is receiving medical treatment following this incident.”
“We urge the Russian government to ensure fair treatment and appropriate medical care for all U.S. citizens detained in Russia,” the assertion stated, including that Russia “should immediately release Paul Whelan.”
The Biden administration considers Mr. Whelan tantamount to a political hostage, and the acute tensions between Washington and Moscow over the battle in Ukraine have difficult efforts to win his launch.
David Whelan stated in an interview in April that he would “be happy for the U.S. government to make whatever concessions they can to bring Paul home.”
Anushka Patil contributed reporting.
