Frenchman Laurent Vinatier’s pretrial detention extended until February 21

The judge announced this on Tuesday, the first day of his trial, where he is accused of failing to register as a “foreign agent.”

Imprisoned since June in Russia, Frenchman Laurent Vinatier, accused of not having registered as a “foreign agent”, is being held in pre-trial detention for an additional six months, until February 21. This was announced by a judge at a Moscow court on Tuesday, September 3, on the first day of his trial.

“The court considers that it is impossible to begin the examination of the criminal case. The hearing is postponed to September 16 at 2 p.m.”said Judge Natalia Tcheprassova, after announcing the extension of his detention, according to AFP journalists on the scene. Laurent Vinatier faces five years in prison.