Jailed Russian Opposition Activist 'Fears For His Life'

Leonid Razvozzhayev appears via video link at the Moscow City Court on January 21.

Russian opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhayev has testified at Moscow City Court that he fears for his life.

On January 21, Razvozzhayev made the statement during the hearing via an Internet link from a detention center in the Siberian city of Irkutsk.

He said that he had received threats in prison and his health was deteriorating, but he did not give more details.

Afterward, the court denied his appeal to be released from pretrial detention.

Razvozzhayev was arrested in October 2012 for his alleged role in organizing unsanctioned, violent protests in Moscow.

He is also charged with armed robbery in connection with a 15-year-old incident in Siberia, illegal border-crossing, and making a false crime report.

Razvozzhayev has insisted Russian authorities kidnapped him from Ukraine, brought him back to Russia, and used torture to force him to confess.

Based on reporting by ITAR-TASS and Interfax