(Moscow) - Russian authorities should immediately drop criminal libel charges against Oleg Orlov, the prominent activist who heads Memorial Human Rights Center, Human Rights Watch said today. The charges stem from Orlov's statement that Ramzan Kadyrov, the president of Chechnya, was responsible for the murder of Natalia Estemirova, Memorial's leading researcher in Chechnya.
"Criminal penalties for libel are disproportionate and have a chilling effect on free expression in Russia," said Allison Gill, Moscow director for Human Rights Watch. "Kadyrov has already had his day in court over this issue."
The decision to bring a criminal case was made public on October 27, 2009. If convicted, Orlov faces up to three years in prison.
Kadyrov brought civil defamation charges against Orlov and Memorial, suing for 10 million rubles in damages (approximately US$300,000). On October 6, 2009, a Moscow court ruled that ...