A Russian court extended the detention of a French researcher until February on Tuesday (3) in a hearing on charges that he collected military intelligence without registering as a foreign agent, Russian news agency RIA reported.
Independent media outlet Mediazona quoted Laurent Vinatier’s lawyer as saying before the hearing began that the Frenchman had admitted his guilt and that the defense was therefore asking the court to proceed quickly to a verdict.
France says Vinatier was “arbitrarily detained” by Russia and called for his immediate release.
Vinatier, an expert on the former Soviet Union with long experience working in Russia, was arrested at a central Moscow restaurant in June by masked agents of the FSB security service, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
In July, the FSB said he had pleaded guilty to the charge against him, which carries a sentence of up to five years.
Vinatier was not included in a major prisoner swap last month in which Moscow took back eight Russians held abroad in exchange for the release of 16 people held in Russian and Belarusian prisons, including Americans, Germans and eight Russian dissidents.
Russia says relations with France have hit a low point since French authorities placed the Russian founder of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, under formal investigation last week in connection with his use of the app for crimes including fraud, money laundering and child pornography. Durov’s lawyer called the case against him absurd.
French President Emmanuel Macron denied that Vinatier worked for the French state. He described his arrest as part of a disinformation campaign waged by Moscow.
Vinatier is an employee of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a conflict mediation organization based in Switzerland. In a statement after his arrest, he said his staff works globally and “routinely meets with a wide range of officials, experts and other actors to advance efforts to prevent, mitigate and resolve armed conflict.”
The FSB said in July that Vinatier tried to use his numerous contacts with political scientists, sociologists, economists, military experts and government officials to collect military details “that could be used by foreign intelligence services to the detriment of the security of the Russian Federation.”
Under Russian law, people are required to contact the Ministry of Justice and register as foreign agents if they are involved in political activities or gathering military intelligence while receiving financial aid or support from outside the country.
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This content was originally published in Russian court extends prison sentence of French researcher accused of espionage on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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