Oleg Orlov, a Russian activist, was Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison for Denouncing the Ukraine War
Image Source: The Week
Oleg Orlov, a Russian human rights activist who spoke out against the conflict in Ukraine, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison by a Moscow court for “repeatedly discrediting” the Russian military.
A human rights activist who condemned the Ukrainian conflict was sentenced to 2½ years in prison after being found guilty of “repeatedly discrediting” the Russian military by a Moscow court.
Oleg Orlov, 70, co-chairman of Memorial, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization, had dismissed the prosecution against him as politically driven, adding in his closing speech, “I don’t regret anything and I don’t repent anything.” He also condemned the war again.
Orlov was handcuffed and brought into custody following the verdict, which ended a retrial in which he had already been convicted and punished. The prosecution had appealed, seeking a heavier term, highlighting President Vladimir Putin’s government’s scant tolerance for wartime criticism.
According to the independent Russian news outlet Mediazona, the prosecution said that Orlov was driven to write the anti-war piece by antagonism towards “traditional Russian spiritual, moral, and patriotic values” as well as disdain for the military.
In a statement, Memorial described Orlov’s sentencing as “an attempt to drown out the voice of the human rights movement in Russia and any criticism of the state.” It promised to continue its job. The verdict attracted scores of supporters, including 18 Western diplomats, Mediazona reported.
“I’m shocked and disturbed about today’s outcome. Oleg Orlov has personally battled for Russians’ rights for over 45 years,” U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy said in a statement. “In the past, his efforts have been recognized at the highest levels. In today’s Russia, he is imprisoned for them.
In October 2023, a Moscow court convicted Orlov and fined him 150,000 rubles (about $1,500 at the time), a far less severe punishment than the lengthy prison sentences others had gotten for criticizing the war.
Both the defense and the prosecution appealed, and a higher court overturned the fine, returning the matter to the prosecutors. The new trial began earlier this month, marking the latest move in the Kremlin’s relentless assault on dissent since sending soldiers into Ukraine in February 2022.
Also on Tuesday, a court in Grozny, the capital of Russia’s predominantly Muslim territory of Chechnya, sentenced a man to 3 1/2 years in prison for publicly burning a Quran in front of a mosque. According to Russian state news outlet Tass, Nikita Zhuravel admitted to doing so under the orders of Ukrainian special services in exchange for a payoff.
In September 2023, Chechnya’s dictatorial leader Ramzan Kadyrov shared a video of his son allegedly beating Zhuravel in custody. Kadyrov congratulated his son for “defending his religion.”
Tuesday also marked the tenth anniversary of the assassination of Boris Nemtsov, a popular Russian opposition leader. On the night of February 27, 2015, the 55-year-old former deputy prime minister was shot dead while walking along a bridge near the Kremlin.
A temporary memorial on the Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge, where Nemtsov was killed, continues to gather mourners, who lay flower bouquets. His death, like that of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison earlier this month, dealt a blow to the political opposition.
An official in the Kremlin-backed Kadyrov’s security forces was sentenced to 20 years for firing the rounds that killed Nemtsov. Four additional guys were sentenced to 11 to 19 years for their role.
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