A former US marine who spent more than four years in a prison in Russia under alleged abusive conditions was released by Moscow after a pardon by President Vladimir Putin under humanitarian reasons, US officials said.
What Happened
The exact circumstances of his health are unclear. He is on his way to a US military hospital in Texas. Gilman was one of at least eight Americans who remained in Russian custody after a series of high-profile prisoner exchanges with the US in recent years.
The White House and the State Department had urged Russia to release Gilman so that he can receive medical treatment in US. He was being held in a prison in Voronezh, about 340 miles (550 kilometers) south of Moscow, Reuters news agency reported.
Background
Gilman’s family has also flown to Texas to be with him, including his mother, who was in Russia attempting to see him at the hospital.
He had earlier been moved from the Russian prison to the psychiatric ward of a civilian emergency hospital, wherein he was hooked up to a feeding tube and handcuffed to a bed.
