October 20, 2026, 1:43 PMRSSRU

Valentin Sokolov

At largeChecked October 18, 2026

Valentin Sokolov, born 1975, Moscow Oblast. Charges: Article 282 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Incitement of hatred or enmity); “The case of Valentin Sokolov”, opened on July 14, 2017. Sentence (March 27, 2018): The court commuted the sentence from 1.5 years to 8 months' imprisonment. Status: at large. Recognition: Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as a political prisoner, April 22, 2018.

In brief

Moscow Oblast · Kolomna · Politicians, Environmentalists · Extremism cases

Sentence

8 months

The court commuted the sentence from 1.5 years to 8 months' imprisonment.

Sentence changed March 27, 2018

First instance, January 11, 2018: 1 year 6 months

Charges

Full wording of the charges

published images with text inciting hatred against Russians on the Odnoklassniki network, published videos on Facebook with xenophobic comments calling for, inter alia, violence against black people

Latest event

May 23, 2023 — removed from the rosfinmonitoring list

Checked October 18, 2026 · no changes since October 15

Recognition by rights defenders

Timeline

  1. · Removed from the Rosfinmonitoring list

  2. · Persecution ends

  3. · Persecution ends

  4. · Imprisonment ends

  5. · Recognised as a political prisoner

    Memorial Human Rights Centre

  6. · Appeal ruling

    sentence changed · 8 months

Criminal case

The case of Valentin Sokolov

There are no other defendants in this case in the database.

The case of Valentin Sokolov

There are no other defendants in this case in the database.

Details and sources

Full summary

According to OVD-Info

In July 2016, a hate speech case was opened in connection with a picture in Odnoklassniki and two Facebook videos. On 26 August, all the equipment, including an MP3 player and the children's iPhones, including those with a broken screen, were taken from the flat where Sokolv's wife and children live. They did not give a copy of the seizure report, nor did they give a copy of the court order, although they promised to. The lawyer was not allowed into the flat.

In May 2016, Sokolov was also searched. Some people, without showing any documents, went to his flat, after which they seized his computer and phone and advised him not to participate in the elections.

In July 2017, the case was terminated, but then reopened for new episodes.

On 12 January 2018, Sokolov was sentenced to one and a half years in a general regime colony.

On 28 March, the Moscow Regional Court commuted the sentence to eight months in a general regime colony.

In the colony, Sokolov was repeatedly placed in the punishment cell for minor breaches of discipline - in particular, for leaving the canteen with a piece of bread in his hand. Sokolov demanded a recalculation of his days in the colony in accordance with the new law, but the court set the date for consideration of his application for a day much later than the time when Sokolov could be released under the new rules. Sokolov went on a dry hunger strike. After that, it became known that the court hearing was postponed to an earlier date. On 8 August 2018, Sokolov was released, but the court that decided on the recalculation of the days assigned him administrative supervision for three years with a ban on attending mass events.

All fields of the record
Citizenship
Russia
Persecution episodes
2
Sources (1)

Other people prosecuted under Article 282 part 1, Russian Criminal Code

Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.

All 136 under this article →

Valentin Sokolov — Political persecution — FACTUM.PRESS