22:36, 29 April 2023

Case of rights defender Oleg Orlov on discrediting Russian Army sent to court

The prosecutor's office has approved the indictment in the criminal case opened against Oleg Orlov, a human rights defender, accused of discrediting militaries. The case has been sent to a Moscow court.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 21 it became known that Oleg Orlov, a co-chairman of the "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence, became a figurant in a criminal case of discrediting the Russian Army. The investigator chose a freedom restraint measure for him as recognizance not to leave the place.

The reason for the accusation was the Russian translation of Orlov's article about the events in Ukraine, published in the French outlet "Mediapart", posted on the Facebook* on November 14, 2022. Orlov has stated that he "published his personal opinion about the events in Russia and the rest of the world." The article condemns the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine.

The prosecutor's office approved the indictment in just two days, although 10 days is given thereto to do so, the above "Memorial" Centre reports in its Telegram channel.

Oleg Orlov was first accused of discrediting the Russian Army after he was detained in a square in Moscow, where he was holding a poster criticizing President Vladimir Putin. On March 30, 2022, the court sentenced him to a fine for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces. On April 10, 2022, law enforcers detained Mr Orlov in Red Square when he went out there to hold a solo picket.

On April 29, 2022, during pickets, Oleg Orlov and Irina Galkova, a former employee of the International "Memorial"** were detained in Red Square. On May 12, they were fined; the court found them guilty of violating the rules for holding events and discrediting the Russian Army.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 29, 2023 at 02:15 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: Caucasian Knot