I haven’t spoken to my son, US Marine veteran Robert Gilman, since January 2022 when he was imprisoned in Russia after being convicted — wrongly — of assaulting a police officer.
I constantly worry about his condition, which I can only gauge through public photos and updates from his lawyer. He was originally sentenced to 4.5 years, but on Oct. 7, he was sentenced to an additional 7 years and one month for allegedly assaulting a prison official and a state investigator. These trumped up charges are commonly used as a tactic by Russia to load on years to indefinitely hold and eventually trade US prisoners for high-asset Russian prisoners in US custody.
On Aug. 1, a window from this hell opened up when my wife and I, who emigrated from Russia to Dracut, heard of the Biden administration’s deal to free three Americans from Russia. We prayed he was among those released as we searched the internet. While we are happy for the other detainees and their families, we were crushed Robert was not included. In fact, the US government may not have even asked for him at all.
Robert is a good kid. A US citizen, he joined the Marines because he believes in America and service to others, as does the rest of our family. He was born in Poland and grew up in Massachusetts. He is quick to smile and laugh and loves to help others to learn. When Robert established an English language instruction firm in Poland, his students loved him, nicknaming him “Captain America.” In early 2022, Robert was traveling to Moldova to examine a new opportunity to teach English but never made it.
While transiting through Russia on a flight to Moldova, Robert fell ill and collapsed. When he woke, he was handcuffed to a policeman. He was released and given a visa to recuperate in Russia but noticed a few missing pages from his passport. Once better, he visited my sister who remained in Russia. On his way to get his passport repaired, he fell ill again. While sick, he accidentally kicked a police officer — who was uninjured and who dropped all charges against my son and didn’t present evidence at his trial. This event would normally result in a fine or a suspended sentence, if anything. But Robert was singled out because he is an American.
These events differ from what Russia claims happened.
According to the Russian news agency Tass, “On Jan. 17, 2022, Gilman was taken to a transport police precinct in Voronezh since he was disturbing peace while intoxicated on a Sukhumi-Moscow passenger train. At the precinct, Gilman kicked a policeman in the shin at least twice after which a criminal case was opened for violence against a public authority on duty.”
The Voronezh prison where Robert is held is notorious for its torture and corruption. Robert communicated to us that he is being fed multiple, conflicting drugs meant to limit his ability to control his behavior; has been forced to exercise for 16 hours in a row; suffered deliberate food and sleep deprivation; and spent six months in a punishment cell with no outside contact. According to ABC News, “Inmates reportedly endure sleep deprivation, malnourishment, medical neglect, and a dizzying set of arbitrary rules designed to mentally and physical break them.” What Robert has communicated to us clearly shows us that he has been goaded into conflicts with guards and impossible situations with the intent of breaking him and tacking on additional charges.
So why is Robert still in prison on trumped-up charges? We raised this question in March 2023, when we wrote to the State Department to ask it to designate Robert as a wrongful detainee. The designation would allow the State Department to negotiate for Robert. All three American citizens exchanged on Aug. 1 had been so designated. To this day, the State Department has not acted nor told us why it has not made the designation. What we do know is elevating his case will make a difference. We need Robert designated so he is not left behind if there is a future prisoner exchange
I need America to not leave my son behind.
Vladimir Gilman lives in Dracut.
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Publish date : 2024-10-11 06:25:00
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