The SC toughened the charges against the co-chairman of “Memorial” Oleg Orlov

The repeated investigation of the criminal case on the discrediting of the Russian army against the co-chairman of the human rights center “Memorial” Oleg Orlov established that the accused acted on the basis of “ideological enmity against traditional Russian spiritual, moral and patriotic values”, as well as “hatred towards the social group of military servicemen forces of the Russian Federation”.

“Memorial” reported with reference to the received materials that the investigation came to such conclusions on the basis of an examination conducted in the Moscow Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The new motives were not included in the initial version of the indictment and will become “aggravating circumstances” upon re-examination of the case.

• In October 2023, a court in Moscow fined Oleg Orlov 150,000 rubles and found him guilty of defaming the Russian army. The reason for the persecution of the human rights activist was an anti-war article he published under the title “They wanted fascism. They got it.”
• After the verdict, the prosecutor’s office filed an appeal, demanding that Orlov’s punishment be toughened and he be sentenced to three years in prison.
• In December, the court overturned the sentence and returned the case to the prosecutor’s office.