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Paul Whelan filed no complaints for about two years — public monitoring commission

The US national was detained in the middle of an espionage action in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow on December 28, 2018

MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/. The Public Monitoring Commission (PMC) of Mordovia received no complaints from US national Paul Whelan, sentenced for espionage, during the last two years, PMC Chairman Alexey Tyurkin told TASS.

Previously, the US embassy in Russia announced that US Ambassador Lynne Tracy headed to the penal colony in Mordovia to visit Whelan.

"No complaints were received [from Paul Whelan]. We visited [the colony number 17, where Whelan is imprisoned] recently, there was an inspection with the prosecutor’s office employees. We did not meet [with Whelan], but there have been no complains or requests," Tyurkin said, adding that no complaints have been received in about two years.

Whelan, who has citizenship of the UK, the US, Canada and Ireland, was detained in the middle of an espionage action in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow on December 28, 2018. The Federal Security Service (FSB) investigative directorate initiated a criminal case over charges of espionage. The Moscow city court found Whelan guilty and sentenced him to 16 years in a penal colony.