Nalvany's death leaves Canadian imprisoned in Russia concerned for prospect of freedom

The death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a remote penal colony last month has left Canadian citizen Paul Whelan wondering if the Kremlin will ever let him walk free. 

“Hearing that someone as high profile as Navalny ended up dead in a secure prison facility, it makes me wonder how safe I am,” Whelan told CBC News Thursday during a phone call from the maximum security prison camp where he is serving a 16-year sentence after a Russian court convicted him on espionage charges in 2020.

Whelan, an Ottawa-born U.S. national who also holds British and Irish citizenship, is a former corporate