Russian Lawyer for Alleged US Spy Says Let’s Make a Deal, But Not Too Soon
MOSCOW – Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen accused of spying who faces 20 years in a Russian prison, is being represented by a former Soviet government investigator who has never before tried an espionage case involving a foreign citizen.
Russian independent prison monitors and human rights defenders were surprised to hear that Whelan had accepted Vladimir Zherebenkov as his attorney, believing it likely the lawyer was the choice of the same Federal Security Service (FSB) that arrested Whelan in the first place.
“It often happens that investigators pick out an attorney who basically acts as one more investigator,” says Zoya Svetova, a veteran prison monitor.