French researcher Laurent Vinatier, who is suspected of illegally collecting sensitive Russian military information, stands inside an enclosure for defendants during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia October 14, 2024. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
PARIS (Reuters) - France called on Monday for the immediate release of French researcher Laurent Vinatier after he was found guilty by a Moscow court of breaking Russia's "foreign agent" laws and sentenced to three years in prison.
"The legislation on 'foreign agents' contributes to a systematic violation of fundamental freedoms in Russia, such as freedom of association, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression," France's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"French authorities remain fully mobilised to provide assistance (to Vinatier)."
(Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Timothy Heritage)
