Aleksei Sokolov is a political prisoner
The human rights activist from Yekaterinburg has once again been remanded in custody; this time on a charge of treason for defending prisoners’ rights
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Aleksei Sokolov a political prisoner. Sokolov is being prosecuted on a charge of treason for collecting and publicising information about human rights violations in the Federal Penitentiary Service. Aleksei Sokolov’s prosecution violates his right to a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Aleksei Sokolov, that all criminal charges against him be dropped, and that those responsible for the torturous conditions of his detention on remand be held to account.
Who is Aleksei Sokolov and what are the charges against him?
Aleksei Sokolov is a well-known human rights defender who works on prisoners’ rights. He heads Legal Basis, an NGO, and is the author of a documentary film about torture in the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN). In 2010, Sokolov was sentenced to a term of imprisonment on trumped-up charges of theft and robbery. In 2024, a criminal case was brought against Sokolov for repeatedly displaying extremist symbols (Article 282.4, Part 1, of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) for a Facebook logo published on the Ural Human Rights Defenders Telegram channel. He was remanded in custody for six months, then released on bail. In both the first and the second cases, we recognised Sokolov as a political prisoner.
On 16 December 2025, searches were carried out at the homes of Sokolov and his fellow human rights defenders, Roman Kachanov and Larisa Zakharova. According to media reports, Z-blogger Yekaterina Ipatova (Saprykina) had appealed to the head of the Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, alleging that the human rights defenders had received grants from organisations designated as ‘undesirable’ to ‘influence the Russian penal system’ and ‘must answer for treason against the Motherland.’ On 18 December, a court in closed hearing remanded Sokolov in custody on a charge of treason (Article 275 CC RF). According to Sokolov, he was accused of disclosing information about torture and human rights violations within the Federal Penitentiary Service to ‘foreign organisations,’ something which ‘threatens state security.’ If convicted, Sokolov faces life imprisonment.
On 3 July 2026, Aleksei Sokolov was sentenced to 2 years of compulsory labour in a correctional centre, with 15% of his salary to be withheld by the state.
In the remand prison, Sokolov is being held in permanent solitary confinement in torturous conditions of cold and damp, and his health is deteriorating.
Why do we consider Aleksei Sokolov a political prisoner?
We do not know the details of Sokolov’s criminal case. However, according to available information, the human rights defender has been charged with treason for ‘providing assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation.’ The investigative authorities likely consider such assistance to be Sokolov’s public disclosure of information regarding violations of the law in remand prisons and penal colonies. It is, in fact, the violation of citizens’ rights in places of detention that threatens state security, not the reporting of such violations, whether to international or other organisations.
We believe that this latest criminal case against Aleksei Sokolov, initiated against him based on a denunciation, is retaliation for his work in defending prisoners’ rights and his uncompromising stance on torture and abuses within the Federal Penitentiary Service. The fact that the court proceedings on the selection of pre-trial conditions were held in camera in violation of the law also indicates that the prosecution is politically motivated.
A detailed description of Aleksei Sokolov’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can write to Aleksei Sokolov at the following address:
RU:
Российская Федерация, 620019, г. Екатеринбург, ул. Репина, д. 4, ФКУ СИЗО-1 ГУФСИН России по Свердловской области, Соколов Алексей Вениаминович, 1973 г. р.
EN:
Aleksei Veniaminovich Sokolov (born 1973), Remand Prison No. 1, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Sverdlovsk Oblast, 4 Repina Street, Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, 620019, Russia.
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