The Leninsky District Court of Perm has remanded Leonid Melekhin in pretrial detention. Previously, Melekhin was denied political asylum in the United States and deported from the country.
In Russia, a criminal case has been opened against the Perm resident under the article on justifying terrorism. The specific charges against him remain unknown. At the request of the FSB investigator, he is held in custody until September 25.
Leonid Melekhin applied for political asylum in the United States last summer after crossing the US-Mexico border but was refused. He spent several months in a US immigration detention center. After the court upheld the denial of his asylum claim, he was deported.
Before leaving Russia, Melekhin, an active civic figure, was repeatedly held administratively liable for participating in protest actions. In June 2023, he held a solo picket in Perm with a sign reading “Freedom for Navalny.” He was detained, taken to a police station for questioning, and then released.
In 2024, Melekhin was declared wanted and later added to the list of “terrorists and extremists” by Rosfinmonitoring.