Caught and released

The judge of the Verkh-Isetsky Court of Yekaterinburg, Ekaterina Shoponyak, found the Blogger Ruslan Sokolovsky guilty and sentenced him to three and a half years in prison with a three-year test term. The broadcast of the court session is the broadcast "Radio Liberty".

“This is an unconditional victory in modern Russian realities. Sokolovsky remained at large. In any case, the defense considers this sentence illegal and unreasonable and will appeal it in the Sverdlovsk Regional Court on appeal,” lawyer Alexei Bushmakov commented on the court’s decision.

“The case of Ruslan Sokolovsky is the main political affairs in modern Russia,” the lawyer noted. “From the point of view of the European Convention on Human Rights, violations are obvious that law enforcement agencies and the court have committed this criminal case. Protection is simply obliged to apply to the ECHR with a complaint about such actions of the court and investigation.”

At the same time, Bushmakov emphasized that in connection with the conviction on Sokolovsky, "all the restrictions that are provided for activities allegedly related to extremism will be laid. "This is the inclusion in the so -called extremist list, and the blocking of bank accounts, this is a restriction on the movement of funds on accounts, the impossibility of free movement, various prohibitions," the lawyer said.

On April 28, in the debate of the parties, the prosecutor Ekaterina Kalinina demanded for the defendant three and a half years of general regime for extremism, insulting the feelings of believers and the use of a "spy" handle (

The lawyers of the defendant Bushmakov and Stanislav Ilchenko demanded to justify Sokolovsky. In the event of an accusatory decision, Ilchenko asked the shopping man to give a blogger a conditional term.

Sokolovsky took about 10 minutes. “I don’t understand how I can be accused of nationalism, because I am only half Russian,” the blogger remarked. “I did not change the opinion of religion,” he continued. “I think that it is not needed. But I changed much about the believers. I talked to them, and we came to a common opinion.”

Sokolovsky also admitted: "I am shocked by the requested time. I was already in a pre -trial detention center - I understand that this is the eve of hell." “I hope for at least any loyal decision, your honor,” he concluded.

In the case of Sokolovsky 10 episodes. Nine of them is the publication of Videsets on a personal YouTube channel. All of them are qualified under part 1 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code (excitement of national or religious hatred or enmity). It provides for up to four or up to five years in a colony depending on the dating of a particular episode: "Package of Yarovaya", which entered into force in July 2016, tightened the sanction on this charges. Part 1 of Article 148 of the Criminal Code (insulting the feelings of believers; up to a year of a real period) was also imputed under six of the nine episodes of Sokolovsky. Another one was charged with one of the same article (up to three years), however, the prosecutor refused to the debate in the debate.

According to the 10th episode, the blogger is charged with Article 138.1 of the Criminal Code (illegal circulation of technical means for the unspoken receipt of information), which provides for the four years of the colony.

In addition to the video, “Catch Pokemon in the Church”, the plots appearing in the case are as follows. Part 1 of Article 148, Part 1 of Article 282 Sokolovsky was charged with the video “He did not see the Chechechens in space” (07/14/2015), “Letters of Hate: Believers” (12/01/2015), “Muslim suicide” (05.24.2016), “Patriarch Kirill, you p ...” (31.05.2016), “The perfect Orthodox marriage?” (08/18/2016), "Sokolovsky in prison for catching Pokemon?" (08/19/2016). For only part 1 of Article 282, the publication of the videos of “Letters of Hate: Feminists” (02/01/2016) was qualified and “Entered a sect” (03.03.2016).

In the video "Suicide of Muslims on the exam" Sokolovsky with approval responds to the Omonovs on Muslims and their subsequent expulsion from Russia.

The video “Cut Pokemon in the Church” was shot in the Church on Blood, built on the site of the Ipatievsky house, where in 1918 Nicholas II was shot and his family. A few days after the publication of the plot, the Yekaterinburg diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church submitted a denunciation to the prosecutor's office. The Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Sverdlovsk region sent a video for research. Meanwhile, the news agency addressed the denunciation of the video "The perfect Orthodox marriage?"

On September 2, 2016, Sokolovsky was detained. Judge of the Kirovsky district court of Yekaterinburg Christina stubbornly arrested him for two months. However, a few days later, the judge of the Sverdlovsk regional court Tatyana Ainsof transferred the political prisoner under house arrest to the apartment of lawyer Ilchenko.

Nevertheless, the next month, the Investigative Committee filed a petition with the True of the preventive measure to tightly. The department claimed that the blogger violated the house arrest, letting the girl into the apartment who came to congratulate him on his birthday. Sokolovsky’s girl is a witness in his case.

On October 28, the judge of the Kirovsky District Court Oksana Khamitsevich repeatedly sent a blogger to a pre -trial detention center . Hearing in violation of the Code of Criminal Procedure was held closed. The TFR took a non -disclosure subscription from all three lawyers.

On February 13, 2017, it became known that Sokolovsky was again transferred under house arrest to Ilchenko’s apartment. Two days later, the Investigative Committee announced the sending of the case to court.

On March 13, on the opening day of the hearing on the merits of the case, the blogger said in court that the “spy” pen does not belong to him, and in addition, it is not “spy”, since it is equipped with an indicator of work. Sokolovsky also assured that he would continue to shoot the videos regardless of which sentence will be passed to him. He remarked to journalists: "If they put me - o'kei, you will have to find your ideas" (

On March 18, the lawyer Bushmakov sent a letter to the Primate with a request to speak out regarding the case of the Yekaterinburg Sokolovsky, as well as to evaluate Patriarch Kirill that appears in the case, you w ... ”. "Do you consider yourself offended and (or) the humiliated spread of this video?" the lawyer asked. Cyril was not reported about Cyril’s request to a request.