- After being convicted in a pedophilia case that he describes as a "conspiracy", Yoann Barbereau had escaped from Russia.
- A refugee in France, he could not get out because however he was still on file by Interpol.
- The international police organization finally withdrew the red notice concerning him.
He had served 71 days in Siberia. Then had succeeded two consecutive runs, one to join the French embassy in Moscow, the other to rally France on its own. Two and a half years after having fled Russia in an incredible way, the Nantais Yoann Barbereau has just learned this Tuesday “great news”. Interpol, the international criminal police organization, has agreed to lift the red notice concerning him.
In short: the former director of the Alliance Française in Irkutsk, who had been prosecuted and sentenced in Russia for trumped up pedophilia charges according to him, no longer risks arrest if he sets foot outside of France. “That's it, I'm free to move around. The world is opening up again. It's like a second release from prison, ”comments Yoann Barbereau.
"Interpol recognizes my innocence"
Interpol no longer considers him a fugitive, considering that the substance of the case was "political". “It's a polite way to admit that I was indeed the victim of a fabricated case on the part of Russia. In other words, Interpol recognizes my innocence, ”analyzes Yoann Barbereau.
Aged 42, the one who lives today in Douarnenez (Finistère) has just sold 50,000 copies of In the Siberian Jails , the book telling his hallucinating story. “I have been invited to present it in several European countries. I will finally be able to go there ”, he rejoices, while specifying that he will avoid“ countries having close relations with Russia, out of prudence ”.
Already a legal success in April
On April 24, the French state was ordered by the Paris administrative court to pay Yoann Barbereau 300,000 euros in compensation for having been the victim of physical and moral attacks in Russia as a French public official. “What has happened since the release of my book is no coincidence. I believe in the power of literature. The right words can be used to raise awareness of the existence of an injustice, ”concludes the former director of the Alliance Française.
Yoann Barbereau also appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to obtain a conviction from the Russian state. The decision of the ECHR is not expected for “several years”.
Society
“Getting out of myself helped me take action,” says Yoann Barbereau on his crazy run between Russia and France
World
Yoann Barbereau, still pursued by Russia, demands accountability from the Quai d'Orsay
- Justice
- Interpol
- Russia
- Nantes
- Society