Russia – France utterly condemns Oleg Orlov’s 2 ½-year prison sentence (February 27, 2024)

France utterly condemns the two-and-a-half-year prison sentence handed down against human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov, co-founder of the Memorial organization, for criticizing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. This sentence is outrageous and deeply unjust.

Oleg Orlov was clearly the victim of judicial harassment during his trial, which was described by Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, as a “travesty of justice.”

France applauds the role played by Memorial in its fight for human rights and to preserve the memory of the crimes committed in Russia since the Soviet era.

France calls on Russia to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, and particularly Vladimir Kara-Murza, whose deteriorating health is a serious cause for concern. We salute the bravery of the women and men who, like Oleg Orlov and the sociologist and dissident Boris Kagarlitsky, who was sentenced to five years in prison without parole, defend the freedom of speech and opinion despite the risk.