Sentence of Oleg Orlov* left unchanged

The Moscow City Court (MCC) has upheld the decision by which human rights activist Oleg Orlov was sentenced to 2.5 years of freedom deprivation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 27, 2024, a court in Moscow found Orlov* guilty within a criminal case for discrediting the Russian Army and sentenced him to 2.5 years in jail. On March 11, his defence filed an appeal against the verdict.

The "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence** has reported in its Telegram channel that the defence, having listed violations in Orlov’s case and pointing out the incompetence of the experts brought in by investigators, demanded that the verdict be overturned. “An elderly man with no previous convictions should not be deprived of his freedom for peacefully expressing his opinion and separated from his wife, who needs him by her side,” Katerina Tertukhina, an advocate, has stated.

The prosecution has stated that it treats the verdict as lawful and justified.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.

**As reported on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the reason for including on March 1, 2024, the unregistered "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD) into the roster of foreign agents was the spread of "inaccurate information aimed at creating a negative image of the Russian Federation, as well as the Russian Armed Forces."

***On March 21, 2022, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.