Pompeo Demands Russia Immediately Release US Citizen Convicted of Spying

An image of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who was arrested for alleged spying in Moscow, is displayed behind Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, at a news conference at the State Department in Washington, on June 10, 2020. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has denounced the conviction by a Russian court of U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, a former Marine, on charges of spying.

“The United States is outraged by the decision of a Russian court today to convict U.S. citizen Paul Whelan after a secret trial, with secret evidence, and without appropriate allowances for defense witnesses,” Pompeo said in a June 15 statement.