US 'outraged' as Russia convicts American of spying

Washington, June 15 :The United States expressed outrage Monday over a Russian court's conviction of American Paul Whelan on espionage charges, saying he was deprived of a fair trial.

                  

Whelan, a former Marine arrested in December 2018, was sentenced Monday to 16 years of hard labor after being found guilty of receiving classified information.

                  

"The United States is outraged by the decision of a Russian court today to convict US citizen Paul Whelan after a secret trial, with secret evidence, and without appropriate allowances for defense witnesses," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.