British and Canadian diplomats have requested consular visits with spy suspect Paul Whelan, imprisoned in Moscow on charges of espionage, his brother David Whelan said on Thursday in a statement obtained by Sputnik
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2020) British and Canadian diplomats have requested consular visits with spy suspect Paul Whelan, imprisoned in Moscow on charges of espionage, his brother David Whelan said on Thursday in a statement obtained by Sputnik.
"We are hoping that requests made by the UK Embassy and the Canadian Embassy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for visits in the coming weeks will be approved," David Whelan said.
A citizen of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland, Paul Whelan was arrested in Moscow on charges of espionage in December 2018.
Irish diplomats visited him on February 5, David Whelan noted. "[Paul] confirmed to the Irish consular staff that he expects his trial to be held at the end of March," he added.
Meanwhile, David Whelan thanked Russian authorities for public comments that have resulted in improved contacts between Whelan and his lawyer.
"We are grateful that Foreign Minister's [Sergey] Lavrov's comments about the prison's restrictions on Paul's access to his lawyers have had an impact. Paul's defense counsel have had increased access to Paul since then, and that has enabled them to complete their review of the purported evidence more quickly," he said.
Paul Whelan has maintained his innocence and insisted he was in Russia to attend a friend's wedding. According to information provided to the court, Whelan had been visiting Russia regularly since 2007.
If convicted, Whelan faces a 10-20 year prison sentence.
