OREANDA-NEWS. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he is outraged by the sentence to American citizen Paul Whelan for spying against Russia and demands his immediate release.

“Outraged by the decision today to convict Paul Whelan on the basis of a secret trial, with secret evidence, and without appropriate allowances for defense witnesses. Paul’s treatment by Russian authorities continues to be appalling, and we demand his immediate release,” American diplomat wrote on his Twitter page.

On June 15, the Moscow City Court sentenced Whelan, a citizen of four countries (USA, Canada, Great Britain, and Ireland), to 16 years in prison for espionage. The convict called on the authorities of the United States, Britain and Canada to respond to the court decision. Whelan’s lawyer announced the possibility of exchange for Victor Bout or Konstantin Yaroshenko convicted in the USA.