The trial of Frenchman Laurent Vinatier, imprisoned since June, will begin on September 3

Will his fate soon be known? The start of the trial of Laurent Vinatier, a French collaborator of a Swiss NGO arrested in early June in Russia, has been set for September 3, according to a notice published on the website of the Moscow courts. Laurent Vinatier will be tried for failure to comply with the obligations relating to persons designated as “foreign agents” and faces five years in prison.

The researcher specializing in the post-Soviet space had admitted not having registered as a “foreign agent,” explaining that he was unaware that a recent Russian law required him to do so. Aged 48, he worked in Russia for the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, which mediates conflicts outside official diplomatic channels. The Russian Investigative Committee had also suspected him of having collected information on Russian military activities, raising fears of more serious charges.

In recent years, several Westerners, particularly Americans, have been arrested in Russia and faced serious charges, with Washington denouncing hostage-taking to obtain the release of Russians held abroad.

On August 1, the West and Russia carried out the largest prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War, including American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, who were freed by Moscow. The deal freed 16 people held in Russia and Belarus in exchange for eight Russians and the two children of a spy couple. Paris then called on Moscow to immediately release the remaining prisoners. “arbitrarily detained in Russia”, including Laurent Vinatier.