MOSCOW, Russia
The Russian authorities on Monday detained a liberal politician who has recently returned to Moscow from abroad, the latest move in a relentless crackdown on dissent amid Moscow’s military action in Ukraine.
Leonid Gozman was detained
after the Interior Ministry issued a warrant for his arrest while investigating
a criminal case against him.
Gozman has been accused of
breaching the law that requires Russian citizens to notify authorities about a
foreign citizenship or a residency permit. If found guilty, Gozman could be
sentenced to a fine or community work.
Gozman notified the authorities
about his Israeli citizenship, but the authorities claimed that he failed to do
so within required time.
Gozman, a vocal critic of the
Kremlin’s campaign in Ukraine, left Russia when it started but returned in June
in what he described as a “moral” choice.
The Russian Justice Ministry
has listed him as a “foreign agent,” a description that carries a strong
pejorative meaning and implies additional government scrutiny.
Gozman’s lawyer, Mikhail
Biryukov, said the politician was detained on the Moscow subway and taken to a
police station.
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