Russia Sentences French Researcher to Three Years for Unregistered Military Data Gathering Under 'Foreign Agent' Law

Oct 14, 2024, 02:33 PM

A Moscow court has sentenced French researcher Laurent Vinatier to three years in prison for violating Russia's "foreign agent" law. Vinatier was found guilty of collecting military information without being registered as a foreign agent. He was accused of meeting with three Russians to gather military data on Russia's armed forces. The Russian prosecutor had initially requested a sentence of three years and three months in a penal colony. Vinatier, who was arrested in Moscow in June, was employed by the Swiss non-governmental organization 'Center for Humanitarian Dialogue'. The French Foreign Affairs Ministry has called for his immediate release.