Russia wants to imprison the co-chair of Nobel-winning rights group over criticism of war in Ukraine
Source: Associated Press
Russia wants to imprison the co-chair of Nobel-winning rights group over criticism of war in Ukraine
BY DASHA LITVINOVA
Updated 7:29 AM EST, February 26, 2024
Russian authorities on Monday sought a prison sentence of nearly three years for a veteran human rights advocate who spoke out against the war in Ukraine.
The prosecution demanded that Oleg Orlov, 70, be convicted of “repeatedly discrediting” the Russian army and sentenced to two years and 11 months in prison. The demand came in a retrial after he was earlier ordered to pay a fine. Underscoring how little tolerance President Vladimir Putin’s government has for criticism of its invasion of Ukraine, the prosecution appealed the fine, seeking a harsher punishment.
The charges against Orlov, co-chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, came after he posted on Facebook an article he wrote denouncing the invasion of Ukraine. He has rejected the case against him as politically motivated.
A court in Moscow in October 2023 delivered a guilty verdict and fined Orlov 150,000 rubles (about $1,500 at the time), a significantly milder punishment compared to the lengthy prison terms some other Russians have received for criticizing the war.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-orlov-memorial-nobel-1d21cf3966b4bc51d047241f05953d39
= new reply since forum marked as read
