Blogger Ruslan Sokolovsky appealed his arrest to the ECHR

On February 19, it became known that video blogger Ruslan Sokolovsky, who was accused of insulting the feelings of believers after publishing a video from a church, filed a complaint against his arrest with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Vedomosti reported this with reference to lawyer Damir Gainutdinov.

In the complaint, Sokolovsky calls the chosen preventive measure in the form of detention inappropriate for the gravity of his charges and the level of danger of the actions charged to him. The applicant complains of violations of the right to freedom and expression.

On February 15, the investigation materials weresent to the court. The preliminary hearing will take place on February 27.

The investigation accuses the blogger of posting 9 videos on YouTube between May 2013 and September 2016 that contain signs of inciting hatred or hostility. Moreover, according to the materials of the criminal case, some of the videos were also assessed as public actions expressing clear disrespect for society and committed with the aim of insulting the religious feelings of believers.

Ruslan Sokolovsky is accused of “committing 9 episodes of a crime under Article 282 of the Criminal Code (inciting hatred or enmity, as well as humiliation of human dignity), 7 episodes of Article 148 of the Criminal Code (violation of the right to freedom of conscience and religion), as well as one episode of Article 138.1 of the Criminal Code ( illegal trafficking of special technical means intended for secretly obtaining information).”