Released Orlov compares Putin's Russia to Stalin's
Human rights activist Orlow can leave his homeland through prisoner exchange. He says it reminds him more and more of dark times. In an interview, he says people are imprisoned for mere criticism of authorities, something that hasn't happened since Stalin's time.
Oleg Orlow, a human rights activist released from Russian detention as part of a prisoner exchange, has likened his homeland to a relapse into Stalinist times. The chairman of Memorial, one of Russia's oldest and most renowned human rights organizations, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, criticized the extent of repression in today's Russia in an interview with news agency AP.
Orlow said that under Russian President Vladimir Putin, people are imprisoned for criticizing authorities, something not seen since the time of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. "We're sliding somewhere into Stalinist times," he said. Orlow was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in February for criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine in an article.
His release in the prisoner exchange between Russia, Belarus, and several Western countries surprised him. Initially, he was asked to submit a pardon request to Putin, which he refused. Days later, he was transported in a car to Samara airport and then to Moscow. Suddenly finding himself on a plane full of free people after coming directly from prison was a strange feeling, the human rights activist said.
Unexpected Pardon for Orlow
After that, he spent three more days in the notorious Moscow prison Lefortovo and wrote a complaint about not being able to see his lawyer. Then, he was shown a document stating that he had been pardoned. He was put on another plane, which took him to Germany, where he was greeted by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Remembering the moment he saw familiar faces on the bus to the airport, Orlow smiles. Among them were musician and artist Sascha Skotschilenko, imprisoned for a small anti-war protest, and opposition politician Andrei Pivovarov. When it was announced that it was a prisoner exchange, they were already well aware, he said.
The Commission, a group dedicated to upholding human rights, awarded Memorial and its chairman, Oleg Orlow, the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 due to their relentless advocacy. Orlow, a prominent human rights activist, expressed concern that the current political climate in Russia mirrors the repressive era of Stalin, with individuals being imprisoned for criticizing authorities.
