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02 AUG 2024
Oleg Orlov is Free! Statement from the Memorial Human Rights Defence Center Council
02 AUG 2024
On August 1, 2024, our friend and colleague Oleg Orlov was released along with fifteen other political prisoners—citizens of Russia, the U.S. and Germany. Orlov and most of the others were first flown to Turkey, from where Oleg contacted his family, confirming he was safe, and then to Germany.
Among those released as part of a major prisoner swap were politicians Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza, artist Sasha Skochilenko, Alexei Navalny's associates Lilia Chanysheva and Ksenia Fadeeva, American reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. marine Paul Whelan, 19-year-old German Kevin Lik, and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
We express our gratitude to everyone who cared for and supported the detainees. Such a massive swap is a significant event, the result of months of work by many people and states. Without their titanic efforts, this would not have been possible.
We share the joy of the release of the innocent, but unfortunately, we cannot speak of the triumph of justice. Dissidents, deprived of their freedom only for speaking the truth and doing everything possible for the benefit of their country and democracy, were exchanged for criminals. Among those released, the Russian authorities took their chance to return Vadim Krasikov, an officer of the Russian special services who committed a contract killing in Germany and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
It should be noted that while a pardon means the cessation of criminal prosecution, the removal of a criminal record, and the cancellation of any consequences of a sentence, it is unlikely that the released Russians dissidents can safely return to their homeland.
The Russian authorities released fifteen figures from quite famous cases, and the Belarusian authorities released one, but many hundreds of political prisoners remain behind bars in both countries. Among them are Memorial members Yuri Dmitriev, Bakhrom Khamroev, and Mikhail Krieger.
We congratulate all political prisoners who have gained freedom. We urge everyone to do everything possible to help those who remain in captivity and to secure their release.
Freedom for political prisoners!
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