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Appeal against arrest of suspected US spy filed with Russian court

On January 2, US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman visited Whelan at the Lefortovo pretrial detention center

Paul Whelan EPA-EFE/WHELAN FAMILY

Paul Whelan

© EPA-EFE/WHELAN FAMILY

MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/. Moscow’s Lefortovo court on Thursday received an appeal against the decision to arrest US citizen Paul Whelan detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, the court’s press service told TASS on Thursday.

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"The lawyer’s appeal against the ruling to place Whelan in custody has been lodged with the court. The date of consideration has not been fixed," a spokesperson for the court, Yekaterina Krasnova, said.

Earlier, the suspect’s lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov said he had filed an appeal by mail against the decision to arrest the US citizen, requesting the court release Whelan on bail.

On December 28, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Paul Whelan in Moscow "while he was on a spy mission." The FSB Investigative Department opened an investigation under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code (espionage), which carries a punishment of 10 to 20 years in prison. Whelan holds US, UK, Irish and Canadian citizenship.

On January 2, US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman visited Whelan at the Lefortovo pretrial detention center.

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