A UN human rights expert today urged Russia to drop criminal charges against Oleg Orlov, a prominent human rights defender and one of the leaders of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organisation “Memorial”. Orlov is scheduled to appear before a Moscow court on 8 June on charges of “public actions aimed at discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation”.
“Show trials of prominent figures, such as Orlov, are aimed at instilling fear, deterring the public from participating in peaceful protests and preventing people from voicing dissent,” said the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, Mariana Katzarova.
“In pursuing criminal charges against Oleg Orlov, the Russian authorities have turned the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on its head, criminalising public advocacy for peace and attempting to silence the voices of human rights defenders,” she said.
Oleg Orlov is one of Russia’s most prominent human rights defenders and co-chair of the Human Rights Defence Centre Memorial. Last year Memorial won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Special Rapporteur noted that the criminal charges against him carry a potential prison sentence of up to three years and are a direct result of Mr. Orlov’s condemnation of the armed attack by the Russian Federation on Ukraine.
“Orlov’s prosecution is part of a system-wide crackdown on the anti-war movement in the Russian Federation,” Katzarova said.
She reminded the Russian authorities of their obligations under international human rights law: “The authorities have a responsibility to foster an environment conducive to freedom of expression and to enable human rights activities.”
Reports indicate that at least 19,718 individuals have been arbitrarily detained and 584 individuals subjected to criminal prosecution in connection with peaceful protests since 24 February 2022.
UN experts have attempted to engage in dialogue with the Russian authorities to prevent the adoption of increasingly repressive administrative and criminal legislation, commonly referred to as the “fake war news” law. Adopted since February 2022 following the armed attack on Ukraine, this package of laws includes Article 280.3 of the Criminal Code, under which Mr. Orlov is charged.
In a letter to the Russian authorities dated 17 May 2023, the experts expressed concern about the criminal charges brought against Mr. Orlov and urged relevant authorities to “repeal all legislative provisions restricting freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and suffocating civic space in the Russian Federation”. No response has yet been received.
