15/06/2011 Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Strasbourg, 15.06.2011 – Mailis Reps (Estonia, ALDE), the rapporteur of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) on the situation of human rights defenders, has expressed satisfaction following the acquittal of prominent human rights lawyer Oleg Orlov, the head of the Human Rights Centre “Memorial” in the Russian Federation.
“I warmly welcome the acquittal of Oleg Orlov. It is a step in the direction of ensuring respect for the rule of law and a sign that Russian courts are willing and able to interpret the right to freedom of expression in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. However, we should not forget that the circumstances of the killing of Natalia Estemirova have not yet been elucidated, and that human rights defenders in Chechnya continue to be threatened and hindered in exercising their activities.”
Oleg Orlov was indicted in June 2010 on charges of criminal slander for his statement suggesting that Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya’s leader, bore “responsibility” for the brutal murder of Natalia Estemirova, a human rights defender and previous head of “Memorial”. According to the decision of Khamovniki District Court of Moscow on 14 June 2011, Oleg Orlov had only expressed his opinion and had not deliberately made false claims about Kadyrov.