A Russian court has rejected an appeal by French researcher Laurent Vinatier against his conviction for failing to register as a foreign agent, upholding his three-year prison term. France condemned the sentence and demanded Vinatier's immediate release, after accusing Russia of taking Westerners hostage.
The result of the appeal comes as no surprise, but the decision was made quickly on Monday.
The verdict "remains unchanged", said judge Tatiana Sokolova, after Vinatier appeared in court to appeal the October 2024 conviction, and once again apologised for failing to register as a foreign agent.
During his trial in October, Vinatier – an expert on the former USSR – claimed that he was unaware of the requirement to register as a foreign agent under Russian law.
The law has been used to crack down on Kremlin critics, but not usually foreign citizens.
Vinatier, who was working in Russia for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Swiss NGO that mediates in conflicts outside official diplomatic channels, is one of several Westerners to have been arrested in Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Increased tension
He has been incarcerated since June 2024.
The French Foreign Affairs Ministry criticised the verdict, saying that Vinatier "was arbitrarily convicted", and called for his "immediate release" and the repeal of Russia’s law on foreign agents which "goes against the commitments that Russia has made in terms of human rights".
Vinatier’s arrest and conviction come as relations between Russia and France are increasingly tense, notably over the war in Ukraine.
Western countries have accused Russia in the past of arresting foreign in order to negotiate prisoner exchanges.
Vinatier was not among the prisoners involved in the biggest post Cold War prisoner exchange in August 2024.
(with AFP)
