The Zamoskvoretsky Court in Moscow has sentenced French citizen Laurent Vinatier, recognized as a foreign agent in Russia, to three years in a penal colony. Vinatier was found guilty of evading the duties of foreign agent activities and data collection under Article 330.1 of the Russian Criminal Code. He pleaded guilty and repented his actions.
During the trial, the prosecution demanded a prison sentence of three years and three months. The defense argued that this punishment was too harsh and requested a non-custodial sentence. However, due to the special order in which the case was considered, the court could not impose a sentence exceeding two-thirds of the maximum provided for by the Russian Criminal Code.
The investigation revealed that Vinatier collected information on Russia’s military and military-technical activities from April 23, 2021 to August 26, 2022, as well as information about mobilization. This information was supposed to be reported to the appropriate Russian authority. The French citizen received information regarding the deployment of Russian armed forces in Ukraine and predictions about the course of military activities.
According to the investigation, this data could have been used against Russia. On June 21, Vinatier was included by the Russian Justice Ministry in the register of foreign agents. He works as an employee for the Swiss non-governmental non-profit organization, Center for Humanitarian Dialogue. Vinatier was detained in Moscow in early June.
The judge, Natalya Cheprasova, announced the verdict, finding Vinatier guilty and sentencing him to three years in a penal colony. The trial focused on the charges of evading duties related to foreign agent activities and data collection. While Vinatier pleaded guilty and expressed remorse for his actions, the defense argued that the prosecution’s requested sentence was too severe.
Despite these arguments, the court could only impose a sentence within the limits set by the special order, which prevented them from exceeding two-thirds of the maximum penalty provided for in Article 330.1 of the Russian Criminal Code. Consequently, Vinatier was sentenced to three years in a penal colony.