Russian Court Rejects Oleg Orlov's Appeal Against Prison Sentence

A Moscow court has denied an appeal from Oleg Orlov, a notable Russian human rights advocate, concerning his two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for allegedly discrediting the armed forces. Orlov, 71, previously co-chaired the Memorial rights group, which was shut down by Russia in 2021 but later shared a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

A Moscow court on Thursday rejected an appeal by veteran Russian human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov against a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for discrediting the armed forces, a Reuters reporter in the court said.

Orlov, 71, was co-chair of the Memorial rights group that was banned and dissolved by Russia in 2021, but which won a share of the Nobel Peace Prize the following year.