MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2021) US citizen Paul Whelan, who is serving a prison sentence in Russia on espionage charges, has told his family that one of the prison officers allegedly hit him, his lawyer told Sputnik on Sunday.
"His brother called me and said that Paul had contacted his parents saying that one of the colony's junior staff had hit him," Olga Karlova said.
She cited Whelan's brother as saying that there was video footage of the alleged assault, but said she knew no further details, such as the name of the officer who allegedly hit her client.
"So far I have no information on the impact on Whelan's health or on the reasons for the conflict. He hasn't called me yet. He writes a request for a call every time, but it is not always approved," the lawyer said.
Whelan, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, was arrested in Russia in December 2018. A court in Moscow sentenced him to 16 years in prison for espionage last June.
