The hearing was held in the presence of the Ambassador of France in Russia and in very poor conditions of translation, the request of Philippe Delpal to appoint a second interpreter has been rejected by the court.

The decision to extend the arrest of Philippe Delpal, imprisoned since February 14 without visiting rights of his family, causes again confusion and concern of the business community.

Philippe Delpal deserves to be treated fairly and at least to be placed under house arrest for the investigation period. 

We hope that his appeal will be considered as soon as possible, and we declare our absolute solidarity with his family and with all the other Baring Vostok employees in pre-trial detention.