Russian opposition activist released from prison after serving term
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 7 April 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russian opposition activist released from prison after serving term, 7 April 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a71a13.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
April 07, 2017
KRASNOYARSK, Russia – Russian opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhayev has been released from a Siberian prison after serving a 4 1/2-year sentence.
Razvozzhayev says he was abducted by Russian security agents in Ukraine in 2012 and brought to Russia, where he was arrested and tried.
A court in Moscow found him guilty of helping to organize a protest on Moscow's Bolotnaya Square in May 2012 and of attempts to organize similar rallies across Russia.
Police and protesters blamed each other for violence that erupted at the protest on the eve of Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency for a third term.
Razvozzhayev's wife, Yulia, met him at the prison gates in the city of Krasnoyarsk.
Razvozzhayev told RFE/RL that he does not yet know what he is going to do now but that he would like to contribute to the democratization of Russia and reforms in the country's corrections system.
For two years, Razvozzhayev will be monitored by police and barred from attending public gatherings and events.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
