The Nobel Peace Prize committee declared on Wednesday that it was “appalled” by the prison term meted out to Russian campaigner Oleg Orlov, who shared the prize in 2022 and was the leader of the now-defunct human rights organization “Memorial”.
On Tuesday, Orlov was given a 2-1/2 year jail term for “discrediting the armed forces” by criticizing the conflict in Ukraine and claiming that President Vladimir Putin was bringing about a fascist takeover.
The Nobel Peace Prize Committee head, Joergen Watne Frydnes, issued a statement saying, “The sentence against Mr. Orlov is politically motivated and provides another proof of the increasing disrespect for human rights and freedom of speech in today’s Russia.”
The remarks of Frydnes came after the five-person Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee chose Watne Frydnes as its new leader on Monday. He is the award body’s youngest head, at 39.
“The Putin regime has for many years tried to silence the leadership of Memorial and other important civil society organizations in Russia, and they are now using the war on Ukraine as a pretext to finish the job,” stated Watne Frydnes. “It is important that they won’t succeed.”
Moreover, on Wednesday, the committee said that it has registered 285 candidates 196 people and 89 organizations for the peace award this year.
