A court in the Krasnodar region extended compulsory treatment for a defendant in a case of insulting the authorities

The Kushchevsky District Court of the Krasnodar Territory extended for six months the compulsory treatment of Maxim Sokolov, a defendant in a criminal case under the article of insulting a government official (Article 319 of the Criminal Code). Sokolov’s mother reported this to OVD-Info.

According to her, the basis for this decision was the conclusion of doctors who believe that Sokolov’s condition requires continued treatment in a psychiatric hospital.

The court considered the possibility of terminating Sokolov’s treatment or extending his detention in a medical institution, since the treatment period established by the court when considering the criminal case had expired.

Maxim Sokolov was sent for compulsory treatment by decision of a magistrate in September 2019. In April 2020, a psychiatric hospital ordered him to immediately report to an institution located 100 kilometers from Sokolov’s place of residence.

demanded At that time, a “self-isolation” regime was in force in the region due to the spread of coronavirus: due to restrictions, public transport stopped running, including to the hospital, where Sokolov was summoned. He asked to postpone his appearance until the restrictions imposed were lifted. However, the court in May rejected this request, and already in June the police detained Sokolov and forcibly brought him to Specialized Psychiatric Hospital No. 3 of the Kushchevsky District.

refused - Various appeals by Maxim Sokolov to the Prosecutor General's Office and the Investigative Committee of Russia became a probable reason for criminal prosecution. One of the appeals concerned a possible connection between a local investigator and the administration of a public page on VKontakte, where content similar to child pornography was posted. The case against Sokolov was initiated after a conflict with the head of the local police department, during which the man allegedly insulted a police officer. - Earlier in the case of Maxim Sokolov there was an episode of slander (Part 1 of Article 128.1 of the Criminal Code) against the investigator of the Yeisk Interdistrict Investigation Department for the Krasnodar Territory, Yuri Ovechko. However, at one of the meetings, the episode was excluded from the case due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, although Sokolov himself objected to the termination of any charges on non-exonerating grounds, including the statute of limitations.