Paris called for the immediate release of other people still “arbitrarily detained in Russia”.
This Tuesday, September 3, Laurent Vinatier appears before the Zamoskvoretski court in Moscow.
He is accused of failing to register as a “foreign agent” with the Russian authorities, which could earn him a five-year prison sentence, TF1 Info reports.
Last June, this volunteer in a Swiss NGO had already pleaded guilty, claiming that he was unaware of the legal obligation to declare himself, but the trial could last several days.
The 48-year-old Frenchman is an expert on the post-Soviet space who worked for the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, an organization specializing in conflict mediation outside official diplomatic channels.
Growing tensions
His arrest, which took place in early June, came amid growing tensions between Paris and Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian Investigative Committee even suspected him of collecting information on Russian military activities, raising concerns about more serious charges.
Moscow frequently uses such charges against foreign nationals, often resulting in prisoner exchanges with their home countries.
The 1is Last August, the largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War took place, involving American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, who were released by Moscow.
Eight Russians imprisoned in the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia and Norway, as well as the two children of a spy couple, have been returned to Moscow.
Paris called for the immediate release of other people still “arbitrarily detained in Russia”, including Laurent Vinatier.
