A Moscow court on Tuesday sentenced a veteran human rights advocate who spoke out against the war in Ukraine to two years and six months in prison

A Moscow court on Tuesday sentenced a veteran human rights advocate who spoke out against the war in Ukraine to two years and six months in prison. 

He was taken directly into custody from the courtroom.

Oleg Orlov, 70, was convicted of “repeatedly discrediting” the Russian army in an article he wrote denouncing the invasion of Ukraine.

Human rights activist Oleg Orlov was sentenced by a Moscow court to two and a half years in prison after he was found guilty of discrediting Russia's armed forces in a trial that has been condemned by international observers as politically motivated.

Oleg Orlov is one of Russia's greatest human rights defenders. 

He is the chairperson of Memorial, the Nobel-prize winning human rights group recently forced to disband by Putin's 'judiciary'. 

Memorial was dedicated to documenting the horrors of the Soviet Union as well as Russia's more recent atrocities. 

Oleg could have left Russia, but he decided to stay and continue to fight for human rights.