Human rights defender, Mr Alexei Sokolov, is facing new charges following his release from detention on 31 July 2009 in Yekaterinburg. Alexei Sokolov is the chairman of the NGO Pravovaja osnova (Legal Foundation) which defends prisoners’ rights and throughout his career, he has repeatedly denounced the use of torture by the Russian police.

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Alexei Sokolov became well-known in Russia for his part in the film “Factory of torture,” which was based on documented material of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners in Kopeisk in May 2008. The film also highlighted the culpability of the police for the recent tragedy in the discotheque “Hollywood” in which teenagers were crushed to death.

On 4 August 2009, the Leninsky district court of Yekaterinburg heard new charges presented against Alexei Sokolov concerning the theft of a safe containing 2 million roubles from an Yekaterinburg business company in 2004.

However the prosecution told the judge that these new charges are based on article 158 3 (b) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation which constitutes the theft of oil from petrol pipes.

When the investigators realised that they had given the judge the wrong legal article, the judge nonetheless accepted this article as the basis of the new investigation. The 4 August hearing was held behind doors protected by armed guards, other human rights defenders were not permitted to attend and the Ombudsman of the Yekaterinburg region was not able to attend.

The new charges were filed on 31 July 2009, the same day that Alexei Sokolov was released from detention by the Sverdlovsk regional court.

Alexei Sokolov had originally been arrested on 13 May 2009 in relation to a 2004 robbery at the “UralTermoSvar” industrial base during which welding equipment and a cable were stolen.

Five years following this robbery, two prisoners serving sentences for other crimes “confessed” to the robbery and named Alexei Sokolov as their accomplice. It is alleged that upon arresting him, the Russian police told Alexei Sokolov, “We got you - little human rights defender. You thought you could control the police? Instead you'll get 15 years behind bars and we'll send you to unit 63 where they turn people into obedient animals.”

On 14 May a court in Yekaterinburg authorised Alexei Sokolov’s arrest for 10 days however he was subsequently held in detention until the 31 July court decision to overturn the decision to remand him in custody.

Front Line believes that the new charges against Alexei Sokolov are directly related to his work in defense of human rights, particularly the rights of prisoners in Russia.

Front Line is deeply concerned that these new charges may be an attempt to curtail his work and to intimidate other human rights defenders in the region.

Front Line fears for the physical and psychological integrity of Alexei Sokolov.