A Russian blogger awaiting trial on charges of hooliganism for allegedly playing Pokemon Go in an Orthodox church has been taken into custody after a court ruled he violated the terms of his house arrest.

A court in Yekaterinburg ruled on October 28 that blogger Ruslan Sokolovsky violated his house arrest because his girlfriend -- who is a potential witness in the case -- visited him to congratulate him on his birthday.

The court also found that Sokolovsky had been using the Internet in violation of the conditions of his detention.

The court ordered Sokolovsky held in custody until January 23.

Sokolovsky was arrested in September after posting a video of himself playing the popular game Pokemon Go in a cathedral in early August.

The human rights organization Amnesty International has called Sokolovsky's arrest a "farcical attack on freedom of expression."

Based on reporting by Interfax and The Chronicle of Current Events