Former US Marine Robert Gilman, who has been serving a sentence in Russia since 2022, is in critical condition after being beaten and tortured.
Reuters reports this, citing lawyers for Gilman and his sister.
According to the head of the Global Reach legal association, the 32-year-old American has been in the hospital since the end of June in a stupor-like state. He cannot communicate, does not respond to external stimuli, and is fed through a tube. Because of this, Gilman cannot participate in court hearings.
Gilmanʼs family claims that in the Russian colony the man was tortured and forcibly administered drugs that affect the psyche. This, they say, led to a sharp deterioration in his health.
A senior Trump administration official said they were "closely monitoring" Gilmanʼs case and had "repeatedly made concerted efforts to reach out to the Russian side, urging his return to the United States".
The US State Department said it was “deeply concerned” about Gilman’s condition and urged Russia to immediately release him so he can receive medical care in the US. According to Reuters, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the issue during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in late July.
It is unknown what Lavrovʼs reaction to this request was. The Russian side has not yet commented on the situation.
What is known about the Gilman case?
Robert Gilman is a former US Marine who served in the US Army from August 2019 to August 2020. He was detained in Voronezh in January 2022. Russian authorities accused him of assaulting a police officer while intoxicated and sentenced him to 4.5 years in prison.
The sentence was later increased to 10 years, accusing the American of attacking prison workers. His family and human rights activists call all the charges fabricated.
At least ten U.S. citizens remain imprisoned in Russia, according to Reuters. Human rights activists fear that Gilmanʼs story could end as tragically as that of American student Otto Warmbier, who died after being released from prison in North Korea in 2017.
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