FALCON POWERS – The French President said Moscow must free Laurent Vinatier from prison, after he was jailed on Friday for allegedly handling sensitive military data.
A court in Moscow on Friday ordered Vinatier to be held in jail pending investigation and trial.
He was arrested in the Russian capital on Thursday as tensions have flared between Moscow and Paris following French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements about the possibility of deploying the country’s troops in Ukraine.
The authorities accused Vinatier of failing to register as a “foreign agent” while collecting information about Russia’s “military and military-technical activities,” which could be used to the detriment of the country’s security.
They did not provide details of the accusations beyond alleging that Vinatier repeatedly travelled to Russia to collect this information. Under Russian law, it is a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
Vinatier appeared in court on Friday. Russia’s state news agency Tass cited his lawyer as saying in the courtroom that Vinatier admitted his guilt and maintained that he simply didn’t know about the requirement. The report also said Vinatier apologised to the court.
The judge ordered the man to be remanded in pre-trial detention until Aug. 5.
Vinatier is an adviser with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Geneva-based nongovernmental organisation.
Later Friday, the Geneva-based NGO said it was doing “everything possible to assist our colleague Laurent,” such as by helping to secure legal representation for him and reach out to Russian authorities.
