Paul Whelan’s family says he was attacked in Russian prison

The family of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia, said Wednesday that he was attacked by a fellow inmate at the labor camp where he is serving a 16-year prison sentence on what the United States says are trumped-up espionage charges.

Mr. Whelan told his family in a phone call that he had been working on a production line at the prison on Tuesday when another inmate punched him in the face, according to a statement from David Whelan, Paul’s brother. The attacker then tried to hit him again, he told his family, but he “got up to block the second hit,” and other inmates helped intervene.

Mr Whelan described the attack as “relatively minor”, the statement said, but was concerned that such attacks could occur at any time and could escalate into more serious attacks given the “various sharp implements” available in the prison workshops.

“Paul is a target because he is an American, and anti-American sentiment is not uncommon among the other inmates,” the family’s statement said.

Mr. Whelan, 53, a former U.S. Marine, was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and is being held in a high-security labor camp called IK-17, about an eight-hour drive east of Moscow.

The State Department said in a statement Wednesday that officials from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow spoke with Mr. Whelan on the phone and that “we understand he is receiving medical treatment following this incident.”

“We urge the Russian government to ensure fair treatment and appropriate medical care for all American citizens detained in Russia,” the statement said, adding that Russia “must immediately release Paul Whelan.”

The Biden administration views Mr. Whelan as a political hostage, and extreme tensions between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine have complicated efforts to secure his release.

David Whelan said in an interview in April that he “would be happy if the US government made whatever concessions possible to bring Paul home.”

Anushka Patil reporting contributed.