MOSCOW. April 30 (Interfax) - Russia has still not presented any evidence proving the guilt of United States citizen Paul Whelan, who is accused of spying, the U.S. embassy to Russia said.
"Today marks 124 days in detention for Paul Whelan. Why haven't Russian officials provided proof? Perhaps it's lost along with Paul's mail. Complete lack of evidence + Paul's isolation = greater likelihood officials will try to get a forced false 'confession'," the embassy said on Twitter.
Whelan, a citizen of the U.S., was detained in Moscow on December 28, 2018.
Russian special services charged him with spying for the U.S. If found guilty, he could face from 10 to 20 years' imprisonment.
Whelan's lawyer said a memory stick containing information constituting a state secret was seized from him. However, Whelan said he believed that the memory stick contained personal information from his previous visits to Russia, but had not had time to look at its contents.
On December 29, Moscow's Lefortovsky District Court ordered Whelan's arrest pending trial.
It emerged later that Whelan is also a citizen of the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. Those countries' embassies to Russia have received requests for assistance from him.
Whelan did not admit to any wrongdoing and considered his prosecution a mistake.
Whelan's brother David said that Paul had come to Moscow to attend a wedding. The detainee's family has sought assistance from the U.S. Congress, the U.S. embassy to Russia, and the Department of State, David Whelan said.