MOSCOW: A Russian court on Wednesday announced an appeal hearing this month for French scientist Laurent Vinatier, who has been jailed for three years for failing to register as a foreign agent.
Vinatier is one of the many Westerners who have been detained in Russia since its 2022 insulting, and France has demanded his release.
Moscow city prosecutor announced that Vinatier’s appeal may be held February 24 at 0815 GMT.
Vinatier, who works for a European fight counseling NGO, was found guilty of disobeying Russia’s rules on “foreign brokers”, in a situation condemned by France.
Vinatier was accused of violating a 2022 law that required those who gather information about Russia’s military and weapons and those who could harm the nation’s national security to apply for the title of “foreign agencies.” He was never charged with spy.
He claimed grief at the trial and that he had forgotten to register as a “foreign agent.” The accusation has almost entirely been made against Kremlin local critics.
The 48-year-old functions for Geneva-based center for charitable speech, and is a former researcher on Russia and additional post-soviet nations.
Before Russia launched its full-scale unpleasant in February 2022, the Frenchman had been working on the conflict for years, according to options close to AFP.
He was detained in Moscow in June and appealed his sentence in October to a Moscow city judge.
His attorneys had argued against the “harsh” sentence and demanded that he be given a good.
Russia and France have hit a small point in their relationship, where they have strongly supported Ukraine and accused Russia of trying to destabilize the nation and spread propaganda.
