Russia Must Drop Charges Against Human Rights Defender Alexey Sokolov For Using Facebook Logo: UN Special Rapporteurs

GENEVA (8 January 2025) – UN Special Rapporteurs* today welcomed the release of Alexey Sokolov, a human rights defender from Yekaterinburg, who was freed from pre-trial detention on 4 January on a condition not to leave the city while awaiting trial. Sokolov had been arbitrarily arrested on 5 July 2024 on charges of “repeated demonstration of extremist symbols” for displaying Facebook’s logo online, which the Russian authorities consider “extremist”. This follows a court decision in March 2022 banning Meta, the parent company of Facebook, for its “extremist activities” and “fake news” about the Russian army in Ukraine. The experts issued the following statement:

“While we welcome the release of Alexey Sokolov from pre-trial detention, we reiterate that he should not have been deprived of his liberty in the first place. The charges against him, which violate his right to freedom of opinion and expression, should be dropped immediately, and he should be unconditionally released from any form of detention.

Sokolov established the non-governmental organisation “Pravovaya Osnova” (Legal Basis) in 2005, dedicated to addressing human rights violations in places of detention in Russia. Despite facing constant harassment and intimidation, he has continued to advocate for prisoners’ rights and expose torture and ill-treatment within the penitentiary system. Sokolov has represented victims in complaints pending before the United Nations Committee against Torture.

We urge the Russian authorities to ensure a prompt and impartial investigation into the allegations of torture and ill-treatment that Alexey Sokolov himself has faced. On 5 July 2024, law enforcement officials raided Sokolov’s apartment in Yekaterinburg, subjected him to severe beatings and threats, and seized confidential documents from torture victims authorising Sokolov to represent them before the UN Treaty Bodies, raising concerns of reprisals.

We are deeply concerned by apparent reprisals against Sokolov for his human rights work with United Nations Treaty Bodies, highlighting the risks he faces for his international human rights advocacy. We urge the authorities to end all forms of intimidation and reprisals against individuals and civil society organisations that seek to cooperate with the UN and its human rights mechanisms and to put safeguards in place to prevent future reprisals.

The arbitrary detention of Alexey Sokolov on charges of “extremist activities,” which could lead to four years’ imprisonment, is another example of the severe clampdown on freedom of opinion and expression through targeting civil society, human rights defenders, independent media, and anti-war critics since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In a communication on 23 July 2024, we appealed Sokolov’s arbitrary arrest with the Russian authorities and urged his immediate and unconditional release. No response has been received to date.”

*The experts: Mariana Katzarova, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation; Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders

© Scoop Media