Rights defenders treat charge reversal in Oleg Orlov's case as ridiculous

The sharp change in the position of the Prosecutor's Office (PO) in the appeal submission and the demand to sentence Oleg Orlov, a human rights defender, to a real prison term for discrediting the Russian Army may be due to the dissatisfaction of the higher authority with the prosecution's actions at the trial. The argument about Orlov's hostility appears unfounded, lawyers have noted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 26, Oleg Orlov, a co-chairman of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"*, and his defence filed a complaint against the sentence of the fine imposed on charges of discrediting the Russian Army. The PO has also challenged the court's ruling, demanding that the human rights defender's fine be replaced with three years of freedom deprivation. The PO claimed that Orlov has ideological hatred of the Russian Federation and, together with the "Memorial"*, is undermining the stability of the civil society.

The tightening of the PO's demands after the verdict passed by the first-instance court looks like a legal absurdity, Svetlana Gannushkina**, the chair of the "Civic Assistance" Committee**, has stated.

Such PO's actions are completely unprecedented, said Marina Agaltsova, a lawyer. "At the first-instance court they asked for one thing. But at the appeal, they suddenly take a different position ... Such PO's behaviour is unthinkable," she has stated.

Alexander Verkhovsky, the head of the SOVA Research Centre, has also noted that this happens very rarely. "And the PO's announcement is strange: they say that Orlov had shown his hostility at the trial. Not only does it sound outlandish in essence, but also in its form: why then didn't the prosecutor understand this at the trial," he has stated.

*On December 29, 2021, by the decision of the Moscow City Court, the Russian legal entities of the "International Memorial" and the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" were liquidated. Activists of the organizations have reported that both organizations will continue their work without forming legal entities.

**Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.