Veteran Russian Rights Defender Oleg Orlov Fined For 'Discrediting Armed Forces'

Oleg Orlov

A Moscow court on October 11 ordered veteran human rights defender Oleg Orlov to pay a 150,000 ruble ($1,500) fine for the "repetitive discrediting of Russia's armed forces" involved in Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The court did not heed the prosecutor's request to place Orlov in a psychiatric clinic for having "an abnormally heightened sense of justice and lack of self-preservation instinct." Orlov pleaded not guilty and said, "I refuse to repent." The charge against Orlov stemmed from his interview with the French magazine Mediapart, in which he condemned Russia's war against Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.