MOSCOW. Sept 8 (Interfax) - The Supreme Court of Mordovia has scheduled for late September the hearing of a motion for the transfer of U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, who was convicted of spying in Russia, to the United States where he would serve the remaining time.
"The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on September 27," Whelan's lawyers Olga Karlova and Vladimir Zherebenkov told Interfax.
Whelan, currently incarcerated in a penitentiary in Mordovia, is expected to attend the hearing in person.
The court will meet in camera, as materials in the proceeding are classified.
The Supreme Court of Mordovia confirmed to Interfax that it had received the motion from the lawyers and scheduled the hearing.
"The motion has been received. The hearing has been scheduled for September 27," a court representative said.
He did not name the judge who will process the motion.
The motion said that Whelan, serving time in Russia, "has de facto been deprived of the possibility to establish and maintain social and family ties." The lawyers also noted the limited ability of the penitentiary in Mordovia to treat Whelan's chronic conditions and to provide dentistry services.
"The provision of healthcare is complicated by the fact that Whelan had a tour of duty in Iraq, suffered a concussion, has impaired hearing, and experiences problems with explaining health complications," the motion said.
"In fact, Whelan is deprived of the possibility to exercise his rights on an equal basis with citizens of the Russian Federation, which leads to his unnecessary suffering and violation of humanitarian rights. His transfer to the United States [...] would restore the violated rights and allow to apply the principle of reciprocity," it said.
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.