Russian human rights activist Oleg Orlov faces jail sentence for ‘discrediting’ military

Oleg Orlov, a Russian activist, faces a two and a half year prison term for criticizing the Russian armed forces, highlighting a growing crackdown on freedom of speech and dissent in the country

Oleg Orlov, a Russian human rights activist, was sentenced to two and a half years in jail for “discrediting” the Russian armed forces in an article he published online. 

Previously, he was given a 150,000 rouble fine ($1,630) and walked free. Prosecutors complained the sentence was too soft. A higher court canceled the ruling, and a re-trial was ordered.

“First of all, the Russian Constitution guarantees freedom of speech. I wrote an article presenting my assessment of events. Prosecuting me for that violates the constitution,” Orlov said.

This week, in his closing statement at the re-trial, Oleg Orlov spoke of a Russia “sinking ever more deeply into darkness.”

He gave examples: the death in prison of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and judicial reprisals against other government critics. He described what was happening in his country as “the suffocation of freedom.”

Oleg Orlov is not the first government critic in Russia to have a fine upgraded to a prison sentence. Last year, prominent sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky was found guilty of “public justification of terrorism” for comments he made about the attack on the Crimean Bridge in 2022. The prosecution appealed the sentence, thinking it was not enough.

Earlier this month a court sent Kagarlitsky to prison for five years.

Source: Newsroom

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