The pictures go around the world: Masked police officers in bulletproof vests arrest Russian opposition politician Roisman at his apartment door on Wednesday. Now he is being released again – albeit under numerous conditions. And he still faces many years in prison.
The prominent Russian opposition politician Yevgeny Roisman was released from prison the day after his arrest – albeit under strict freedom restrictions. A court in the city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals, where Roisman was mayor until 2018, ruled that the 59-year-old was not allowed to visit public places and events until the end of September. The regional news portal e1.ru reported that he was also not allowed to receive mail, make calls or use the Internet. The investigations against him continue in time.
Roisman is accused of allegedly spreading false news about the Russian army’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In Russia, there is a risk of many years in prison. Roisman, who was the last known anti-Kremlin opponent at large until his arrest, denies any guilt. “Everything will be fine in the end,” he said in the courtroom. “Those times don’t last forever.”
The opposition leader has a charitable foundation and an icon museum in Yekaterinburg and enjoys a great reputation in the metropolis. Despite the often harsh crackdown on demonstrators by the Russian security forces, some people took to the streets against Roisman’s detention on Wednesday evening, and several arrests were made.
Videos of his arrest were widely shared online. You could see how masked police officers in bulletproof vests arrest the 59-year-old at his apartment door. “His face says it all,” British journalist Andrew Roth wrote about the published footage.
