VLADIVOSTOK: French national Sofiane Sehili, who had been found guilty of illegally crossing the Russian border, was released in the cour...
VLADIVOSTOK: French national Sofiane Sehili, who had been found guilty of illegally crossing the Russian border, was released in the courtroom, the unified press service of the Primorsky regional judicial system told TASS.
"As the defendant fully recognized his guilt in committing the offense, the criminal case, following his appeal and with the agreement of the state prosecutor and the defendant’s attorney, was reviewed according to a special procedure. The court found the French citizen guilty under Article 322, Part 1 of Russia’s Criminal Code and imposed a fine of 50,000 rubles (about $600 - TASS). In accordance with Article 72, Part 5 of the Russian Criminal Code, taking into account the time spent in custody from September 4, 2025, to October 20, 2025, Sehili was relieved from paying the fine. The detention was lifted and Sehili was released in the courtroom," the press service said.
"[A fine of] 50,000 rubles was imposed. He was relieved from paying it," attorney Alla Kushnir told TASS.
On September 5, Le Monde reported the cyclist’s arrest on the Russian-Chinese border, citing his social networks. The newspaper noted that he tried to enter Russia twice via checkpoints located 200 kilometers apart. According to Le Monde, he was attempting to beat the world record for the fastest cycle crossing of the Eurasian continent, from Lisbon to Vladivostok.
He was detained on suspicion of illegally crossing Russia’s state border. Later, a district court in the Primorsky Region arrested Sehili until October 4, 2025. On September 30, France’s honorary council visited the cyclist. On the same day, the court extended his arrest until November 3. On October 9, the court did not grant the appeal of the Frenchman’s defense and did not alter the nature of its restrictive measures.
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