Oleg Orlov, a renowned human rights activist and co-chairman of Memorial, has been sentenced to two and a half years in a Russian prison for 'discrediting' Russia's military actions in Ukraine.

Initially fined by a lower court, the 70-year-old was taken into custody following the appeal verdict on February 27, 2024.

Memorial, the rights group Orlov leads which was banned in 2021, has been documenting human rights abuses since its founding in 1989, from the era of Stalin to current times.

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Russia and other international observers have criticized Orlov's trial as politically motivated and an effort to suppress human rights advocacy in the nation.

Despite his sentencing, Orlov's wife has vowed to persist with Memorial's work, underscoring the resolve against the Russian government's clampdown on free speech and independent thought.

Amnesty International has denounced the trial as a sham and is calling for Orlov's immediate release.