UPDATE: Under pressure from media and supporters, prison officials said they will consider CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling’s request to consult with an outside cardiologist.
Former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, left, leaves the Alexandria Federal Courthouse on Jan. 26 with his wife Holly, center, and attorney Barry Pollack, after being convicted on all nine counts he faced of leaking classified information to a reporter. Photo: Kevin Wolf/AP
Update: Aug. 22, 2016: On Saturday, Holly Sterling, wife of Jeffrey Sterling, shared a letter with supporters to announce that health officials at FCI Englewood agreed to consider the imprisoned CIA whistleblower’s request to receive outside medical care for his heart condition.
Holly Sterling granted MintPress News permission to reprint the letter, which reads:
“Today, I received an encouraging telephone call from my beloved husband Jeffrey. He informed me that he was called to the Health Services Department this morning by the attending physician. Jeffrey and the physician discussed his prior EKG results and blood test. The physician is making a request for a consultation with an outside cardiac specialist. Per the physician, the approval can take up to 30 days, and if the request is denied, he will appeal the decision. In the meantime, Jeffrey has a follow up appointment with the attending physician on August 29th at 3pm.
Although Jeffrey is not receiving immediate medical treatment, we are glad that they are finally taking steps in the right direction. It is still troubling to both of us that such extraordinary actions had to be taken in order for Jeffrey to begin receiving the proper medical care he is entitled to.
Jeffrey and I personally want to thank each and every one of you that called, sent emails and letters to the Warden, the President, etc., to assist in Jeffrey receiving medical treatment. We further thank you for your kinds words and letters of support and encouragement written to Jeffrey, as it has provided a light for him in a very dark and desolate existence.”
LITTLETON, Colorado — Jeffrey Sterling, one of the most recent victims of the U.S. government’s war on whistleblowers, may be at risk of dying in a Colorado prison.
In an interview published Tuesday in The Colorado Independent, the wife of the CIA whistleblower warned that his health is failing due to inadequate medical care at FCI Englewood, the federal prison where he is serving a sentence of three-and-a-half years.
“I’m concerned my husband may die,” Holly Sterling told the Independent’s Corey Hutchins. “I’m extremely concerned.”
Beginning Tuesday evening, a small group of activists held a 24-hour vigil near FCI Englewood to raise awareness of the whistleblower’s plight.
24 hour Vigil for convicted CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling at Federal Prison in SW Denver til 5 pm today #cosen pic.twitter.com/hfZwuEz8VN
— Arn Menconi (@ArnMenconi) August 17, 2016
In May 2015, Jeffrey Sterling was convicted on nine felony charges, including seven charges of violating the Espionage Act, for revealing information about Operation Merlin, a secret CIA operation carried out under President Bill Clinton to undermine Iran’s nuclear program.
However, as Shadowproof’s Kevin Gosztola noted in October, the evidence against Sterling was largely circumstantial. “At trial in January, the government presented no emails showing Sterling and Risen had ever communicated about ‘Operation Merlin’ or even classified information,” he reported.
Instead, Gosztola and others have argued that Sterling was targeted for speaking out against racism at the CIA. Gosztola wrote:
“Sterling communicated with [New York Times journalist James] Risen, but it was about a lawsuit he filed against the CIA alleging racial discrimination. The lawsuit went all the way to the Supreme Court and was eventually dismissed because the government invoked the ‘state secrets privilege’ to avoid litigation of his claims.”
Sterling’s wife shared with the Independent a complaint filed by the whistleblower on Aug. 11 about the “unresponsive and dismissive medical care” he’s received in prison. The Independent reported that, according to the complaint, Sterling “continually suffers chest pressure, shortness of breath, sweating and an uneven heartbeat, but isn’t receiving adequate care, and instead is being told to drink more water.”
In addition to seeking outside medical attention, Sterling has requested that the prison transfer his medical records to his wife so she can have them reviewed by a specialist.
Arn Menconi, the activist and Green Party candidate for Senate who organized the vigil outside FCI Englewood, told the Independent that Sterling is one of many victims in a federal war on whistleblowers.
“Americans should know that President Obama has indicted more whistleblowers than any president in history and this is to send out a signal so that others working in security will not come out and reveal what our government is doing,” Menconi told the Independent.
A September statement from Reporters Without Borders emphasized that the treatment of whistleblowers like Sterling was a major factor behind the United States’ poor standing in the organization’s annual Press Freedom Index. Currently, the U.S. currently ranks 41 out of 180 countries.
Delphine Halgand, U.S. director of Reporters Without Borders, said:
“Is a relationship with a reporter the new catalyst for government prosecution of whistleblowers, whether alleged or actual? If anybody can be sentenced in the United States just because he was merely talking to a journalist on a regular basis, where is press freedom heading in the country of the First Amendment?”
Watch “Sterling verdict shows government hypocritically targets whistleblowers – Norman Solomon” from RT America:
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