Photo: Andrey Arhipov/Sputnik via AP
United States veteranRobert Gilman, who has been silently awaiting trial in a Russian detention cell for nine months, begged the court for clemency last week, asking for “forgiveness from the Russian Federation” for his misdemeanor.
Gilman was taken to a local police station in handcuffs, but was reportedly so drunk that he fell off a bench and onto the floor. On the ground, his legs flailed, kicking a patrol officer on the knee.
He was charged with “the use of violence with respect to a representative of authority,” which carries a maximum penalty of five years.
The 28-year-old American, who has a degree in cybersecurity and served in the U.S Marines from 2019-2020, initially pleaded not guilty, saying he couldn’t remember the incident and claiming the vodka he had been drinking was poisoned.
“I am a victim of political repression,” he recently told Russian reporters. “I didn’t do anything. It was a terrible incident that I couldn’t prevent. I was unconscious at the time.”
Robert Gilman.Andrey Arhipov/Sputnik via AP
Natalia Filimonova, a prisoner’s rights activist with the NGO Russia Behind Bars, has been following the case and tells PEOPLE she was “in shock” at the sentence he received.
“The court’s decision is absolutely a political one,” she claims. “This is unjustified cruelty.”
Gilman’s lawyer, Valery Ivannikov, previously told PEOPLE that his parents back in the U.S., who were both born in Russia, are not able to communicate with their son directly, only via him.
Kommersantreports that after the sentencing, Gilman’s lawyer made a statement, saying, “Taking into consideration the fact that my client admitted his guilt, repented of his deed, and apologized to the victim, we expected a more lenient sentence. We will therefore be appealing and will also apply to the U.S. authorities to initiate a possible exchange process.”
Ivan Melnikov, a Russian human rights activist, tells PEOPLE: “It is a very harsh sentence. It seems the authorities are looking for exchange opportunities as they want to get as many [Russian] citizens back [from U.S. prisons] as possible.” The last time a former U.S. Marine,Trevor Reed, received a long sentence in Russia, Bidensuccessfully negotiated a prisoner swap, returning Russian drug smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko in exchange for Reed.
He added that he had come to Russia to study at the Moscow State University and was not “some ruffian who came here to fight with the police.”
source: people.com
