American detained in Russia is ‘near death,’ advocate says

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) — Concerns are mounting about the wellbeing of an American detained in Russia since 2022, with an advocate alleging he has been subjected to physical and psychological torture.

Robert Gilman is “near death” after falling into a dissociative stupor more than six weeks ago, according to Eric Lebson, the chief strategy officer of Global Reach, an advocacy organization representing his family.

The US government is “deeply concerned” about Gilman’s “health and continued detention in Russia,” a State Department spokesperson said Friday.

“Given these health concerns, the US government has raised his case repeatedly with the Russian government and has requested his release on humanitarian grounds,” the spokesperson said.

Gilman, a 32-year-old former Marine, was forced to take psychotropic drugs and told lies about his family being beaten up and about being forgotten by the United States, Lebson told CNN.

More than six weeks ago, “he flipped into a dissociative stupor.” He was moved from the hospital in his prison some six hours outside of Moscow to the psychiatric ward of a civilian hospital, Lebson said.

Lebson said they have received information that Gilman is being fed through a tube and is handcuffed to his hospital bed, “even though he is physically not cognizant.”

However, neither Gilman’s lawyer nor his mother, who flew to Russia with a Russian court order allowing her to see her son, have been permitted to visit him since he was moved to the civilian hospital, he said.

“The fact that his mother went all the way there … and was not allowed to see him gives us very serious concern that he may either be dead or he may be in such situation that it’s going to be an Otto Warmbier type situation,” Lebson said.

Warmbier, an American college student, spent 17 months in North Korean detention before he was returned to the US in 2017 with severe brain damage. He died less than a week later. His family believed he was tortured into a vegetative state.

“I am more afraid for my brother than I have been since this horrible nightmare started. I’m worried that I ⁠may never see him again if the Russians don’t release him. I’m worried that he could die,” Lexie Hudson, Gilman’s sister, said in a statement.

“We want our government to make it clear to the Russians that they need to release Robert now before it is too late,” she added. “Whatever deal is required to make that happen is better for the US and Russia than having to navigate the death of my brother because both didn’t seize on the urgency of acting when there was time.”

The potential death of an American in Russian custody would test the US’ thorny relationship with Moscow, which the Trump administration has sought to improve.

Gilman’s family said they were told that Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised Gilman’s case with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting in the Philippines in late July.

Reuters first reported on the concerns about Gilman’s condition.

Gilman was arrested in January 2022. The Russians alleged that he was drunk and got into an altercation with a police officer. Lebson denies this, saying Gilman was hit by the police, got sick, and accidentally kicked the officer.

Gilman was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. He is one of multiple former US Marines who have been arrested in Russia, including Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan.

Gilman is one of numerous Americans who remain detained in Russia, including Andre Khachatoorian, Olga Jezler, Chuck Zimmerman, David Barnes, Aleksander Antonov and Stephen Hubbard. Only Hubbard has been designated by the US State Department as wrongfully detained.

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