2023-05-19 12:33:27
Russian opponent Yevgeny Roizman sentenced to pay a fine for having “discredited” the Moscow army
A Russian court on Friday sentenced opponent Yevgeny Roizman to pay a fine for his criticism of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine, a relatively light punishment in the context of relentless repression in Russia. The hugely popular former mayor of Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals, was found guilty of “discredited” the Russian army and sentenced to pay a fine of 260,000 rubles (regarding 3,000 euros), which is what the prosecutor had requested, according to Russian press agencies.
According to the same source, Mr. Roïzman will also remain subject to several restrictions, including a ban on using the Internet and giving interviews, until his conviction is confirmed on appeal or following exhaustion of the time limit for filing appeal.
The conviction of the 60-year-old former city councilor to a simple fine is surprising, while other prominent opponents or anonymous Russians have been sentenced to heavy prison terms on the basis of similar charges. Quoted by news agencies, Mr Roizman said he did not plan to appeal his conviction. “I find that in the current conditions, it is an acquittal”he said.
Evgueni Roizman was accused of having “discredited” the Russian military in a video he posted on YouTube in July 2022, in which he criticized the Russian military operation in Ukraine. He risked up to five years in prison, under a law adopted in Russia in the wake of the launch of the offensive in Ukraine at the end of February 2022, a repressive text which has recently been toughened.
Yevgeny Roizman, who led Yekaterinburg, a city of 1.5 million inhabitants, between 2013 and 2018, is considered one of the last major opposition figures to have remained in Russia and to have, for the moment , escaped a heavy prison sentence. After being charged in August, Mr. Roïzman was not remanded in custody, but was banned from using the Internet, including feeding his very active Twitter feed, and giving interviews.
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