Laurent Vinatier* accused of espionage

A Moscow court has received a motion to extend the arrest of French researcher Laurent Vinatier*, convicted in a case of collecting military information. The political scientist, who was engaged in research of the North Caucasus, including Chechnya, is accused of espionage.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel reported, a Moscow court sentenced French researcher Laurent Vinatier* to three years in prison, finding him guilty in a case of collecting military information; an appeal against the verdict was dismissed. The French authorities called the verdict unfounded and demanded the scientist's release. Previously, Vinatier* was engaged in research of the North Caucasus, including Chechnya. Human rights activists have recognized Vinatier* as a political prisoner.

A criminal case of espionage has been opened against convicted French political scientist Laurent Vinatier*, Mediazona reported today*.

Today, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow received a petition to extend Vinatier's arrest, but this time under the article on espionage (Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), the publication reports.

According to the case file on the website of the Lefortovo District Court, the hearing will take place on August 25 at 14:30 Moscow time.

Recall that in 2007, Laurent Vinatier* gave an interview to a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot", in which he spoke about his work in Chechnya.

"I have been working on "Chechen" issues since 2003. In particular, as part of my doctoral work at the French Institute of Political Analysis, I study in detail the problems of the Chechen diaspora in Europe, the South Caucasus, Turkey and Russia, where I mainly ask myself the question: how do Chechen refugees, being outside their native land, organize themselves at the social and political levels, create diasporas and exist within this framework?" – the researcher said.

In 2003, his book about Chechen-Russian relations was published in Paris.

"Its beginning is dedicated to the first Chechen campaign and the factors that led to the outbreak of the war. In the second part of the book, I tried to show why the Chechens lost influence on the main course of the conflict since 2001. Then there was… an attempt to understand why the war cannot end," said Laurent Vinatier*.

In 2007, noting the successes in the socio-economic sphere and the restoration of the republic, he gave a negative forecast regarding the observance of human rights in the region.

"There is no law in Chechnya. I mean that there is an objective lack of guarantee that human rights will be observed," the researcher suggested.

* are included in the register of foreign agents by the Russian Ministry of Justice.

** the activities of Meta (which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) are prohibited in Russia.