A former US marine who was arrested in Moscow on espionage charges said Friday he had been injured by guards in the prison where he is being held awaiting trial. "I was injured in the prison... the prison doesn't want to tell you," Paul Whelan told journalists from a cage in a Moscow court, which was to decide on whether to extend his provisional detention. Whelan arrived in the court handcuffed and escorted by two security guards wearing black masks and plain clothes.
"You can see the treatment," he said as he entered. "I am standing here in great pain due to an injury sustained in the prison by the prison guards," he said later from the cage in the courtroom, looking pale. He did not say what type of injury he suffered, but his lawyer later said guards made him carry heavy belongings to another cell, exacerbating a hernia.
Whelan told the judge he needed to go to a hospital to receive suitable care. The hearing into whether to extend his detention was interrupted when paramedics were called to examine Whelan, but the judge ultimately said hospitalisation was not required.
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