Support The Moscow Times!

Razvozzhayev Rescinds Confession

Jailed opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhayev rescinded his confession to plotting mass riots at a Wednesday hearing, saying he was "tortured" into writing it.

"I was abducted and tortured into a confession where I was forced to defame [opposition leaders] Alexei Navalny and Sergei Udaltsov," he said in comments carried by Interfax. "I am incarcerated because for many years I have been fighting so that Russia would be free, without crooks and thieves."

The Moscow City Court ruled that Razvozzhayev's detention was legal and declined a request for his release after the prosecutor insisted that "the conditions due to which the current measure of incarceration was chosen have not changed."

Razvozzhayev denounced the case as a political frame-up against the opposition and pleaded for the court to protect his wife and children because his abductors had threatened to kill them.

The defense asked the court to consider documents that they said proved Razvozzhayev was abducted in Ukraine while seeking asylum at a UN refugee office.

A criminal case against Left Front members Razvozzhayev, Udaltsov and Konstantin Lebedev was opened in mid-October due to allegations made in the state television documentary, "Anatomy of a Protest 2," which purportedly showed them plotting riots with the former head of the Georgian parliament's defense committee, Givi Targamadze.

Related articles:

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more