A 28-year-old US citizen was sentenced by a Russian court four and a half years in prison for “violence” against a police officerannounced the Russian Investigative Committee.
“He was found guilty of committing a crime of violence against the police”the investigative commission said in a statement.
According to the researchers, Robert Gilman “kicked several times” a policeman, being “drunk” in a car on January 17, 2022, until he was arrested by several agents.
This Tuesday, Gilman declared himself a “victim of political repression” when a court in Voronej announced the sentence, according to Ria Novosti news agency.
“It’s a terrible accident that I couldn’t prevent,” the American told reporters, after admitting his guilt during the trial.
In his opinion, He was “unconscious” at the time of the events.
His lawyer, Valeri Ivannikov, has announced that he will appeal against the court decision e He has specified that he will ask for a “reduced sentence” for his clientbecause he apologized to the victim.
Furthermore, the defense of Gilman explained that he “will ask the US authorities to initiate an exchange process” of prisoners to free his client.
There are other Americans in prison in Russialike basketball player Brittney Griner or former Marine Paul Whelan.
In April, another former US Marine, Trevor Reed, sentenced to nine years in prison in Russiahe was swapped with a Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, who has been jailed in the United States since 2010 for drug trafficking in connection with the Colombian FARC.
The Brittney Griner case, the basketball player still in detention
The White House challenged Russian authorities to do so on Tuesday “a serious counteroffer” on the release of American sportswoman Brittney Griner.
“They should take seriously the hefty offer we put on the table, or make a serious counter offer.“US executive spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday during her daily press conference.
Jean-Pierre assured that the White House is aware of the announcement by the Russian authorities that on October 25 they will study an appeal presented by the basketball player, sentenced in Moscow to 9 years in prison for drug dealing.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, however, it will not recognize the legitimacy of the judicial processand continues to believe that Griner is “wrongly detained” in the country.
Last July, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, proposed to his Russian colleague, Sergei Lavrov, the exchange of Griner and his American colleague Paul Whelan, sentenced to 16 years for espionage, for the “merchant of death”. the Russian Víktor But, who is serving 25 years in prison in an American prison.
The White House then rejected a Russian counter-proposal, that he wanted to include a second Russian prisoner in the exchange, Chechen Vadim Krásikov, according to various US media.
The United States has never officially confirmed the details of the proposal sent to Russia.but he argues that the deal is still on the table and that it is up to the Kremlin to give an answer.
Griner, world and Olympic basketball champion, She was arrested last February. a few days before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at a Moscow airport for carrying cannabis oil in his suitcase.
Russian legislation punishes the crime committed by the American with a maximum of ten years’ imprisonmentwho plays for the Russian team UMMC in Ekaterinburg.
The cases of Griner and Paul Whelan have become a matter of enormous political significance in United States of America and US President Joe Biden himself met with relatives of both inmates in the White House Oval Office to express his commitment to release them.
AFP and EFE
Source: Clarin
