15:30, 24 June 2011

Kadyrov's representative to challenge Orlov's acquittal

Andrei Krasnenkov, the representative of Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, today lodged a complaint on the acquittal on charges of slandering his client by Oleg Orlov, the chairman of the Human Rights Centre "Memorial", to the secretariat office of the world court No. 363 of the Khamovniki District of Moscow. Andrei Krasnenkov announced about that by himself.

"The appeal is in the court already," the Russian Agency for Legal and Judicial Information (RAPSI) quoted Mr Krasnenkov's speech.

Let us remind that the criminal case on slandering was instituted against Oleg Orlov for his statements about Kadyrov's responsibility for the assassination of Natalya Estemirova, an employee of the HRC "Memorial", in July 2009. On June 14 Karina Morozova, the judge of the district No. 363 of the Khamovniki Court of Moscow, pronounced sentence of acquittal, determining Oleg Orlov, the head of the HRC "Memorial", to be innocent.

Announcing the verdict, the judge added that she trusted the testimonies of witnesses who during the trial reported about threats to Estemirova.