A court in Russia's Far East has upheld the detention of French ultra-cyclist Sofiane Sehili, accused of illegally crossing the Russian-Chinese border during his attempt to set a world record cycling across Eurasia.
The regional court ruled on Thursday that the decision by a lower court to keep the 44-year-old in custody was “legitimate and well-founded”, according to a statement released by the court’s press service.
Sehili’s lawyer, Alla Kouchner, said she plans to appeal the ruling in Russia’s final court of appeal, as reported by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
Sehili, a celebrated figure in the world of ultra-cycling – a sport of extreme long-distance rides – had set out from Lisbon in early July, aiming to pedal across 17 countries and reach Vladivostok, near the borders with China and North Korea, by early September.
The journey was meant to crown a new record for the fastest human-powered crossing of Eurasia.
However, when seeking to enter Russia from China Sehili reportedly chose a border post that is only open to trains and buses, and not accessible to cyclists.
According to Vladimir Naïdin, a local prison observer, Sehili faced the choice of either taking public transport and forfeiting his record, or pressing on by bike. He chose the latter.
French cyclist arrested in Russia to be detained until October
From adventure to arrest
Convinced that border guards would show leniency, Sehili approached them openly, expecting to receive only a slap on the wrist.
Instead, he was arrested and charged with “illegal border crossing”, an offence which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
“He only had his sporting achievement in mind,” his partner Fanny Bensussan told France 3 Occitanie last month, explaining that Sehili never intended to break the law.
Initially detained until 4 October, Sehili’s custody has since been extended to 3 November while investigations continue.
Relations between France and Russia have been frosty since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A number of Western nationals have been detained in Russia since then, with diplomatic tensions heightened around such cases.
(with AFP)
