On 13 November 2010, human rights defender Mr Alexei Sokolov, who was sentenced on 13 May 2010 to three years in prison on charges of theft and robbery, received an official warning from prison authorities which may prevent him from being released on parole.

Further Information

Alexei Sokolov is the founder and chairman of /Pravovaja Osnova/(Legal Foundation), an organisation which defends prisoners’ rights, and throughout his career he has repeatedly denounced the use of torture by Russian police.

According to Article 79 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, a prisoner may apply for conditional early release when he/she has served at least halfof the prison sentence. Under Russian prison regulations, a prison sentence is considered to have begun from the moment of arrest if the prisoner is held in pretrial detention.

Alexei Sokolov was arrestedon 13 May 2009 and as such, on 13 November 2010, having completed the first half of his prison sentence, he was entitled under Article 79 to apply for conditional early release.