A Ural human rights activist accused of displaying an "extremist" Facebook logo has been transferred from a pretrial detention center to a psychiatric hospital.
By decision of the Yekaterinburg court Alexey Sokolov sent for a forensic psychiatric examination. This was reported with reference to the lawyer пишет It's My City. Sokolov will stay in the regional psychiatric hospital for up to a month. "This decision came as a surprise to us. We weren't allowed to review the investigator's motion, and our lawyers weren't notified of the trial.",” Sokolov’s lawyer said.
Alexey Sokolov was previously accused of "displaying extremist symbols" for posting the Facebook logo on the website. Human Rights Defenders of the UralsHe was brutally detained in July and, according to him, beaten.
Sokolov spent many years defending prisoners' rights, speaking out about beatings, torture, and extortion, which led to repeated conflicts with the Sverdlovsk Main Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service.
Human rights activists believe his prosecution is absurd and politically motivated. They fear Alexey could be charged with other criminal offenses as well. UN human rights experts have called for Sokolov's immediate release.