State prosecution has requested a 2-year and 11-month prison sentence for Oleg Orlov, co-founder of Memorial, as reported by the activist’s colleagues on February 26.
On February 26, the Golovinsky District Court in Moscow held hearings regarding Oleg Orlov, co-chair of Memorial, who is being accused of repeatedly discrediting the army (Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The state prosecution demanded a 2-year and 11-month sentence for Orlov in a penal colony, advocating for his immediate custody in the courtroom.
Orlov is being tried for an article titled 'They Wanted Nazism — They Got It,' where he criticized the current political regime in Russia as 'totalitarian and Nazi-like.' The state prosecution alleges that the article contains signs of ideological animosity and hatred.
In his final statement, Oleg Orlov did not admit guilt but instead addressed the law enforcers:
'I am appealing to you, Your Honor, and the representative of prosecution. Aren’t you afraid? Aren’t you afraid to witness what our country is turning into, the country that you, I guess, love as well? Aren’t you afraid that your children and maybe, heaven forbid, your grandchildren will have to live in this absurdity, in this dystopia?'
The verdict for Orlov’s case will be announced on February 27.
In October 2023, a court in Moscow announced its verdict on the case of Oleg Orlov, co-chair of Memorial. The human rights defender was fined 150,000 rubles for an article condemning the war in Ukraine. However, the prosecution appealed the verdict, and it has eventually been overturned.
