Putin Pardons Former U.S. Marine Imprisoned in Russia – Reuters
U.S. officials said Robert Gilman would be transported on a State Department plane from Russia to Washington Dulles Airport.
American Robert Gilman, a former U.S. Marine and English teacher, was released from a Russian prison on Tuesday after President Vladimir Putin granted him a pardon based on humanitarian grounds, according to Reuters. Gilman, 32, had been imprisoned for alleged assaults on a police officer and prison guards, with his sentence extended to 16 years in December 2022.
His family had appealed to Russian authorities, stating he was near death due to alleged torture. The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had raised Gilman's case with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in the Philippines last month.
Upon his release, Gilman will be transported to Washington Dulles Airport via a State Department plane and evaluated by four doctors on the flight back to the United States. His mother, Nina, will join him on the flight. After medical treatment at a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, Texas, Gilman will be flown back to the U.S. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and deputy national security adviser Sebastian Gorka are expected to meet him at Dulles.
Gilman, who was described as walking and talking by U.S. officials, was reportedly transferred to a psychiatric ward at a civilian hospital in Voronezh in late June, where he has been held since early July. His mother was denied access to him despite a court order authorizing her visit. The Moscow Times has been labeled an "undesirable organization" by Russia's Prosecutor General's Office, criminalizing its work and putting staff at risk of prosecution.
Written by urgent.news from The Moscow Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
