Norwegian Nobel Committee supports human rights defender Oleg Orlov

Human rights defender Oleg Orlov has been charged in a criminal case on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces amid the peacekeeping activities of the Human Rights Protection Centre “Memorial”, the Norwegian Nobel Committee states. The petition in support of the human rights defender has gained more than 2600 signatures.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on April 29, it became known that the criminal case against Oleg Orlov, the co-chairman of the Human Rights Protection Centre “Memorial”, accused of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces, was sent to court. An investigator chose the pre-trial restriction measure for Oleg Orlov in the form of a written undertaking not to leave the place. The reason for the accusation was a Russian translation of an article by Oleg Orlov, posted on Facebook*, condemning the special military operation in Ukraine.

“The Human Rights Protection Centre ‘Memorial’ has made outstanding efforts to record war crimes, human rights violations, and abuse of power … Oleg Orlov has been opposed to war and aggression for more than 40 years. In the early 1980s, he put up leaflets against the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. Since 1990, he has visited many zones of armed conflicts in the post-Soviet space as an observer … And now he, who saw the horrors of war with his own eyes ... is being prosecuted for his [pacifist] views,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee notes in its statement.

*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.