Paul Whelan is more worried about his safety after the prison death of Alexei Navalny, in an unexpected phone call to reporters from his Russian penal colony. The Canadian-born former U.S. marine is serving a 16-year sentence for espionage.

Ottawa

Paul Whelan, a Canadian-born former U.S. Marine, has voiced concerns for his safety from a Russian penal colony, where he is currently serving a 16-year sentence for espionage. His worries stem from the recent prison death of Alexei Navalny, which he shared in an unexpected phone call with CBC News. Whelan fears that, like Navalny, his life might be in danger, expressing apprehension that he may never be able to return to his home.



Paul Whelan speaks out from Russian penal colony

Hi Paul, thanks for calling back. We got the chance to speak to Paul Whelan from the remote Russian penal colony where he's serving a 16-year sentence for espionage. It's quite obvious now that Russia took me hostage. We were preparing for another interview when Whelan suddenly called from prison. He was arrested during a visit to Moscow in 2018 and convicted during a secretive trial. The U.S. government considers him wrongfully detained. Do you feel more concerned for your safety now than before? I do, oh yeah, definitely. Yeah, I think it's high time my government got me home. He's worried because of what happened to opposition leader Alexei Navalny who died in a Russian prison last month. The Kremlin denies claims from Russian officials that it was responsible. But President Vladimir Putin did reveal this week that he had agreed to release Navalny in a prisoner swap. A deal which could have reportedly also freed Whelan along with U.S. journalist Evan Grishkovich in an exchange for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian national who's serving a life sentence for murder in Germany. How do you think Navalny's death affects the prospect of you being released in a prisoner swap? It's a road bump. I think that the Russians didn't want to let Navalny go. They've been changing the goalposts since day one. This news report that aired on Russian state media shows Whelan at the penal colony where he works six days a week making clothing for state workers. Earlier this week, Canada's ambassador to Russia visited him at the penal colony and officials say they're watching the case closely. Anything that the Putin regime does that threatens a Canadian citizen is something of concern to us. It's unfortunate what happened with Navalny but it also shows that this is what Russia does. And after five years, Whelan fears he could be running out of time.

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Ukraine Invasion

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