Russia
Memorial co-founder declared foreign agent
Russian civil rights activist Oleg Orlov was declared a “foreign agent” by Moscow. photo
© Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/dpa
Oleg Orlov is one of Russia’s best-known human rights activists; his organization Memorial received the Nobel Peace Prize. But because of his criticism of the war, he comes under the Kremlin’s gaze.
The Russian Ministry of Justice has declared the well-known civil rights activist Oleg Orlov a “foreign agent”. According to the Interfax news agency, the 70-year-old is among five other people because of his criticism Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the spread of alleged misinformation about the political leadership in Moscow have been added to the blacklist.
The Russian leadership uses the term foreign agent to brand opposition members and critics. Anyone who is listed as a “foreign agent” in Russia must expect numerous disadvantages. The organizations, media and individuals on the register are subject to increased supervision of their finances. The classification is intended to fuel mistrust against them and make their work in Russia more difficult. Non-governmental organizations complain that Russians are turning away for fear of being accused of collaborating with “foreign agents.”
The process should be reopened
Orlov has been an employee of the non-governmental organization Memorial since the 1980s, which was originally founded to historically examine political tyranny – particularly the period of repression under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. For years, Orlov headed Memorial’s human rights department and acted as a mediator in organizing prisoner exchanges during the Chechen wars. Memorial received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, but the organization was already banned in Russia.
Orlov, who sharply criticized the war ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, also found himself in the sights of the judiciary. At the end of 2023, he was sentenced to a fine – which political observers described as lenient given the widespread practice of long prison sentences for war opponents. However, the process should be reopened again. Observers see the classification as a foreign agent as the next level of escalation.