Frenchman Laurent Vinatier has appealed his sentence to three years in prison in Russia for not having registered as a “foreign agent”, the Zamoskvoretski court in Moscow said on Tuesday. The appeal request was registered on October 21, one week after the conviction on October 14 to three years and three months in prison.
Laurent Vinatier’s lawyer, Alexeï Sinitsyne, confirmed the call to AFP but refused to make any further comment.
A researcher specializing in the post-Soviet space, the Frenchman worked in Russia for the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Swiss NGO based in Geneva which mediates in conflicts outside official diplomatic circuits. He was arrested last June. Laurent Vinatier then explained that he was unaware that a recent Russian law required him to register as a “foreign agent”.
Moscow uses this label of “foreign agent” reminiscent of the Soviet era, accompanied by very strict administrative constraints, to muzzle and silence critical voices. The Russian Investigative Committee also suspected him of having collected information on Russian military activities, raising fears of more serious charges.
Russia condemned by the ECHR
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday condemned Russia for its law on “foreign agents”, promulgated in 2012.
“Russian legislation on ‘foreign agents’ is arbitrary and creates a climate of distrust,” ruled Tuesday the court which had been contacted by 107 NGOs, media and members of Russian civil society.
