Russian Federation: UPDATE – Libel charges dropped against head of Human Rights Center 'Memorial' Oleg Orlov
Front Line welcomes today's decision of Khamovniki district court of Moscow to drop all libel charges against human rights defender Oleg Orlov head of the Human Rights Centre 'Memorial'. HRC 'Memorial' is a leading human rights organisation in the Russian Federation, particularly known for its work in the North Caucasus.
Further Information
The criminal case was initiated against Oleg Orlov by the Prosecutor's office in accordance with part 2 and 3 of Article 129 (libel) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in October 2009 following comments which Oleg Orlov made in connection with the assassination of his colleague, Natalya Estemirova, a human rights defender and member of staff of the Grozny office of 'Memorial' who was abducted and murdered on 15 July 2009.
That same day, Oleg Orlov made a public statement regarding the responsibility of the President of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, in the killing. The 'Memorial' statement also alleged that President Kadyrov had previously threatened Natalya Estemirova and underlined the fact that 'Memorial' had been aware that their latest communications “concerning new abductions, unlawful executions and public killings in one of the Chechen villages had provoked the anger of high level Chechen officials.”
The assassination of Natalya Estemirova was followed by the killing of human rights defender Ms Zarema Sadulayeva and her husband Mr Alik Dzhabrailov on 11 August 2009, a day after they were abducted by armed men who identified themselves as members of the security forces. On 31 August 2009, the charity worker Ms Zarema Gaysanova was abducted in a military operation which was lead by Ramzan Kadyrov himself.
Almost 2 years later, there is no substantial progress in the investigation into those crimes. Human rights defenders in Chechnya continue to face a defamation campaign, intimidation and threats, including from high Chechen officials. Human rights organisations documented several serious human rights violations in Chechnya such as torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, allegedly committed by law enforcement agencies under the de facto control of Ramzan Kadyrov.
Mary Lawlor, Front Line's Executive Director, said today: 'Natasha Estemirova, our friend whom we knew well, was a woman of indomitable courage whose fearlessness documented the horrific abuses in Chechnya down through the years. We knew she had received many threats from Chechen officials and were so concerned about her safety that we invited her to Dublin to get her and her daughter away. Her murder devastated her friends in 'Memorial' as it did us”..
Oleg Orlov was previously subject to a civil defamation suit filed by Ramzan Kadyrov, and on 6 October 2009 was found guilty and fined. He subsequently lost an appeal against the verdict. A criminal investigation into accusations of libel commenced on 20 October 2009.
Oleg Orlov was the subject of previous Front Line appeals dated 8 July 2010, 21 January 2010 and 13 December 2009.
See here the original appeal on this case
See here the previous items on this case
See here the previous items on this case
