MOSCOW. Aug 4 (Interfax) - U.S. diplomats have forwarded notes in connection with an absence of information on U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, who has been convicted in Russia of espionage and is serving his sentence in a penal colony in Mordovia, but have not received any replies, Whelan's brother David told reporters on Wednesday.
"It is difficult to monitor Paul's health and welfare when the [Russian Federal Penitentiary Service] FSIN prison authorities will not respond to any requests for information. The prison has ignored diplomatic notes sent by the U.S. Embassy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and which were, apparently, relayed [to FSIN]," David Whelan said.
Members of Whelan's family have not talked to Paul over the phone for a month already, he said.
"Ms. Karlova, Paul's lawyer, has filed a complaint with the head of the prison system accusing the prison staff of negligence. Paul has been in solitary confinement for 30 days so far. Hopefully they will not tack on another 15 days and Paul will emerge this week," David Whelan said.
Paul Whelan's lawyer Olga Karlova told Interfax on Tuesday that she had lodged a complaint with FSIN against the administration of the penal colony in Mordovia where her client is serving his sentence, citing the defense team's inability to receive information as to why Whelan has not contacted his family or the embassy for more than a month.
Another lawyer representing Whelan, Vladimir Zherebenkov, told Interfax earlier that Whelan had been placed in solitary confinement at the penal colony.
On June 15, 2020, the Moscow City Court found U.S. citizen Whelan, also a citizen of Ireland, Canada, and the United Kingdom, guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a high-security penitentiary. He is serving his sentence at Penal Colony No. 17 in Mordovia. Whelan pleaded not guilty, but decided not to appeal his sentence, hoping that he would be exchanged.
The American's lawyers earlier told Interfax that Whelan did not expect the U.S. to agree to his exchange, but that he hoped for Russian President Vladimir Putin's goodwill. According to Whelan, in response, the U.S. authorities may send Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko, who are jailed in the U.S., back to Russia as a reciprocal step.
At present, Whelan's lawyers are preparing a petition with the Moscow City Court to expel the American to the U.S. to serve his sentence at home. It is expected to be submitted in mid-August.