11 June 2011, 21:00
Sentencing of Oleg Orlov accused of slandering Kadyrov is expected on June 14
Announcement of the verdict to Oleg Orlov, Chairman of the Board of the Council of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", who is accused of slandering the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov, is scheduled for Tuesday, June 14. The verdict will be read out at 4:30 p.m. in the courtroom of the Khamovniki Court of Moscow.
June 9 was the day for parties' debates. The prosecutor asked the court to fine Orlov by 150,000 roubles, saying that his guilt of committing a crime under the article of "defamation" was completely proved. Andrei Krasnenkov, who is representing Kadyrov, said that Orlov deserved three years of imprisonment.
According to Genry Reznik, Oleg Orlov's advocate, his client's guilt of slandering Kadyrov was never proved within the first nine months of the trial; while an acquittal would stop "abuses of the prosecutor's office." The advocate said that in his statement, which had become the subject of litigation, Orlov "separated Kadyrov from the Estemirova's killers."
Oleg Orlov refused to participate in the debates, but addressed his last plea to the court. He said he had not repented and would never admit his guilt, because he believes that his public words that have become the subject of litigation had no corpus delicti. In his opinion, by his words about Kadyrov's responsibility for Estemirova's death he defended the freedom of opinion in Russia, declared by international laws.
Author: Dmitry Florin Source: CK correspondent
