Another Russian human rights defender pays with his freedom

Last week, in a Moscow courtroom. declared Main character Oleg Orlov Russia A rights activist has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison after a trial so Kafkaesque that the defendant literally spent the court hearing engrossed in Kafka’s iconic novel The Trial.

His crime, if you can call it that, was to tell the truth about the Kremlin’s abusive war in Ukraine and its staggering repression of all forms of opposition inside Russia. Orlov, who has dedicated his life to exposing violations in conflict zones and helping victims hold people accountable, is now in his 70s, giving up his freedom to speak out in the face of fear and injustice. did.

Mr. Orlov is Memorial’s co-chair and one of three 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winners. I first met him more than 20 years ago at a press conference where he and his colleagues were announcing the findings of an investigation into Russian atrocities in Chechnya and calling for accountability for those responsible.

Afterwards, we lingered over coffee. His fact-based explanations and raw dedication to justice amazed me. After that, I had the opportunity to work with him for many years in Chechnya and other North Caucasus regions, and from 2014 to 2016 in eastern Ukraine. Fearless, thorough and empathetic, Orlov does a great job even in a hostile environment. No matter how dangerous the situation is, he will always have your back.

orlov worked under the bomb In Chechnya.he volunteer hostage, traded himself to ensure the release of civilians in the event of a terrorist attack.he survived death threat, One kidnapping and assault By national security authorities.

Recently he had to clock Russian authorities have dismantled monuments and other major human rights organizations as part of an attack on Kremlin critics. He also witnessed the government controlling all forms of public life, leaving no room for artistic expression, academic freedom, independent media, or even basic privacy.

he had to clock Politicians and civil society activists have been sentenced to years in prison for criticizing the war, ranging from accusing the Russian military of war crimes. In Bucha Replace supermarket price tags with information about Russia’s devastating siege of Mariupol.

Now Orlov will go to prison. he knew it was coming.in his final statement At the end of the sham trial, he said that in modern Russia, “it is impossible to be acquitted on this charge,” but stressed that he had “nothing to regret or repent of.”

On the other hand, I have many regrets. He regrets not being present in the Moscow courtroom when he was handcuffed and detained immediately after the outrageous verdict and sentence. Human Rights Watch had been working in Russia for 30 years, but was expelled by authorities in spring 2022, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine.

As much as I wanted to attend Orlov’s trial, I knew that I would probably be detained and prosecuted myself. All of our reporting on Russian human rights abuses in Ukraine falls under the same strict war censorship laws that Mr. Orlov and hundreds of others have already been charged with.

Not being able to support such close friends and colleagues, and not being able to see them in person before they are dragged to prison, is unbearable. But Orlov called on his supporters not to give in to despair. Recalling that the Kremlin bears responsibility for the death of Russia’s leading opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who died in a penal colony earlier this month, Orlov said: “Mr Navalny urged us not to give up.” I did,” he said. we remember that. All I can add is don’t get discouraged, don’t lose your optimism. Because the truth is on our side. Those who dragged our country into the abyss it is now represent an old, decrepit, and outdated order. They have no vision for the future, only false narratives of the past, delusions of ‘imperial greatness’…But we live in the 21st century, and the present and the future are with us. Yes, our victory is inevitable. ”

Orlov is right, the truth is on our side. We hold all those responsible accountable for Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine and repression at home. For that, and for Orlov, we cannot despair.

Tanya Lokshina Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch.