The co-chair of a Nobel-winning rights group in Russia gets 30 months in jail for criticizing war

By ELISE MORTON
Associated Press

A Moscow court has sentenced a veteran human rights advocate who spoke out against the war in Ukraine to two years and six months in prison. Oleg Orlov, 70, was convicted of “repeatedly discrediting” the Russian army in an article he wrote denouncing the invasion of Ukraine. He has rejected the case against him as politically motivated, telling the court in his closing statement: “I don’t regret anything and I don’t repent anything.” Orlov was handcuffed and taken directly into custody from the courtroom on Tuesday. Underscoring how little tolerance President Vladimir Putin’s government has for criticism of its invasion of Ukraine, the prosecution had appealed Orlov’s earlier sentence that ordered him to pay a fine and sought a harsher punishment.