Marine veteran Robert Gilman is back on US soil after four years in a Russian prison, and his family and American officials say his frail condition showed just how badly he was treated. The Robert Gilman case drew fresh attention late Tuesday when he landed at Dulles airport outside Washington, D.C., following what President Trump said was a pardon from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Gilman, 32, arrived with his family and was met with milkshakes and hamburgers after the flight, a striking contrast to the gaunt appearance that had worried supporters for months. He posed with an American flag on the plane ride home, looking pale and worn down. After the stop in Dulles, he was flown to San Antonio, where he is set to receive medical and psychological treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center, according to WOAI-TV.
An anonymous official said Gilman was able to walk and talk and was evaluated during the flight by four doctors. “All things considered, he seems to be in good shape,” the official said. Even so, the image of a once healthy service member returning home after years behind bars has sharpened concern over what happened inside the Russian prison system. Gilman’s sister, Lexie Hudson, said, “The Russians treated my brother so badly,” adding that they hurt him for no reason other than being an American and a Marine.
Gilman, who is from Massachusetts and worked as a teacher, was first convicted in Russia and sentenced to four and a half years for drunkenly kicking a police officer. His family has said he was sick at the time and did not intend to assault the officer. Russian authorities later accused him of attacking prison officials and guards, and those additional convictions pushed his sentence to 10 years by December. That longer sentence, along with reports of worsening health, kept his case in the public eye and made his release a pressing goal for his supporters.
