Rights defenders declare Laurent Vinatier*, French researcher, who wrote about Chechnya, a political prisoner

The human rights project "Support for political prisoners. Memorial" has pointed out the politically motivated nature of the prosecution of Laurent Vinatier*, a French researcher, and demanded his release.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that a Moscow court had sentenced Laurent Vinatier* to three years in jail, finding him guilty within a case of collecting military information. Earlier, he was engaged in studying Northing Caucasus, including Chechnya.

Laurent Vinatier* was detained on June 6 in Moscow. According to investigators, he had been collecting information in the field of military and military-technical activities of the Russian Federation for several years. After his arrest, he was included in the register of foreign agents, the human rights project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial" has informed.

According to the prosecution, in April 2021 and August 2022, Laurent Vinatier* met three Russians and collected information "on the mobilization and troops combat training," as well as the political situation, which could be used against Russia's security.

One of the grounds for prosecuting Mr Vinatier* was the article introduced in 2012, formulated as "Malicious evasion of duties stipulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation, in connection with the recognition of a person as performing the functions of a foreign agent." This article, like the whole legislation on foreign agents, is "unlawful and immoral in nature."

The first criminal case under this article was the case of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, recognized as a political prisoner and released as part of an international exchange on August 1, 2024; and the case of Laurent Vinatier* was the second one.

Human rights defenders have suggested that Vinatier* did not actually collect any military information, but made his "confession" under pressure or the promise of "being fined and released." "There are grounds to believe that he was taken hostage by Russian authorities, probably with the aim of exchanging him for the agents arrested in the West, as well as to prevent peacekeeping non-governmental activities outside Russian authorities' control," the statement said.

Human rights defenders have also stressed that Mr Vinatier* was arrested just a few hours after a Russian citizen, a participant in the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, was arrested near Paris on suspicion of preparing acts of sabotage in the French territory. It looks like Russia's retaliatory measure.

*On June 6, 2024, Vinatier was arrested on charges of evading the duties stipulated by Russian legislation on foreign agents. Besides, the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) stated that Vinatier was collecting information "in the field of military and military-technical activities" that "if received by foreign sources, could be used against the security of the Russian Federation."