MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/: The prosecution has not used any violence against US national Paul Whelan accused of espionage, his earlier statements relate to "unnatural conditions" of his detainment, attorney Vladimir Zherebenkov told TASS on Friday.
"There have been no direct threats towards Whelan from the side of the investigation. When mentioning a threat, Whelan means that he may be wrongfully charged. He is also talking about tough condition of detention - there are some issues with his living conditions - there is no dentist, no translator," he said.
Earlier, Whelan accused the prosecution of violating his dignity.
On Friday, a Moscow court has prolonged Whelan’s arrest until August 29. The attorney stated that the defense would appeal this decision.
US citizen Paul Whelan, 48, who also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports, is a global security chief at BorgWarner, a Michigan-based automotive components company. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) earlier said Whelan had been detained on December 28, 2018 in Moscow while on an alleged spy mission. A criminal investigation was opened against him on espionage charges carrying a punishment of up to 20 years behind bars.
