President Putin, You Are No Stalin

[Draggingtree]

The Moscow Times:

 

 

President Putin, You Are No Stalin

13 June 2012

By Yulia Latynina

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is devoted to freedom of religion, speech and assembly. In particular, it states, "Congress shall make no law … abridging … the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Freedom of assembly is an inalienable human right and political freedom. It is also codified in Article 20 of the Declaration of Human Rights, Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights and in dozens of countries' constitutions.

But freedom of assembly no longer exists in Russia. State Duma deputies from United Russia passed a law last week that contradicts not only the country's Constitution but also violates international agreements that Russia has signed.

I have no doubt that United Russia passed the law on the personal orders of President Vladimir Putin, who is turning this country into a police state. Putin is seeking revenge for, among other things, the way demonstrators spoiled his May 7 inauguration by staging mass protests in Moscow the day before he took the oath of office.

Unsuccessful attempts at revolution are always followed by even harsher measures from the authorities. That is what we see happening now in Russia. No doubt a number of Putin's henchmen are already planning to eliminate elements that Putin finds most frightening and threatening to his monopoly rule: independent media outlets, protest rallies, the Internet and individuals who finance the opposition.

The Putin regime is serious about its war against the people. One sign of this: The number of OMON riot police has more than doubled since 2003, exceeding 25,000 men.

Of course, the pro-Kremlin Nashi youth movement will never be subject to Putin's Snip

 

 

Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/president-putin-you-are-no-stalin/460218.html#ixzz1xmkDzSAd

The Moscow Times