Russia jails rights campaigner Orlov for 2-1/2 years

FILE PHOTO: Russian veteran human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov attends an appeal hearing in Moscow, Russia, December 14, 2023. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Veteran human rights activist Oleg Orlov was sentenced on Tuesday by a Moscow court to two and a half years in prison after he was found guilty of discrediting Russian's armed forces in a trial that has been condemned by international observers as politically motivated.

Orlov, 70, has served for more than two decades as one of the leaders of rights group Memorial. It won a share of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, a year after being banned and dissolved in Russia.