Vladimir Putin is suffocating his own nation Thursday July 30th, 2015 at 4:57 PM
- Get link
- Other Apps
In the tumult and uncertainty that marked Russia after the Soviet Union imploded, when the state was weak and many institutions tottering, a vital lifeline was extended from the West.
The U.S. government, as well as foundations and philanthropies, responded generously. The financier George Soros, through his Open Society Foundations, provided small grants that sustained many impoverished scientists.
The MacArthur Foundation and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) were vital sources of support to civil society, education and human rights.
Now, President Vladimir Putin is forcing these organizations out of Russia, using law enforcement and a parliament that he controls. Mr. Putin's larger target is to destroy civil society, that vital two-way link in any democracy between the rulers and the ruled.
The latest move, announced Tuesday, is to declare the NED an "undesirable" organization under the terms of a law that Mr. Putin signed in May. The law bans groups from abroad who are deemed a "threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation, its defense capabilities and its national security."
The charge against the NED is patently ridiculous. The NED's grantees in Russia last year ran the gamut of civil society. They advocated transparency in public affairs, fought corruption and promoted human rights, freedom of information and freedom of association, among other things.
All these activities make for a healthy democracy but are seen as threatening from the Kremlin's ramparts.
The new law on "undesirables" comes in addition to one signed in 2012 that gave authorities the power to declare organizations "foreign agents" if they engaged in any kind of politics and receive money from abroad. The designation, from the Stalin era, implies espionage.
Reuters / Ivan SekretarevRussia's President Vladimir Putin listens to his spokesman Dmitry Peskov before a meeting with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi August 15, 2014. Niinisto on Friday said an agreement had been reached for a Russian humanitarian aid delivery to eastern Ukraine and he hoped it would pave the way for a ceasefire between the government and pro-Russian rebels there.
While the NED is the first organization to be labeled "undesirable," on July 5, the Dynasty Foundation, which had provided millions of dollars for science and education in Russia, reported that it was closing after being labeled a "foreign agent."
Others are feeling the chill. On July 24, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation of Flint, Mich., an independent, private philanthropy that had supported community education in Russia and contributed more than $25 million since the early 1990s, announced that it would no longer support organizations in Russia. The Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, had put the foundation on a list of potentially undesirable organizations that was submitted to authorities.
On July 21, the MacArthur Foundation, which had provided more than $173 million in grants in Russia since 1992 to further higher education, advance human rights and combat nuclear proliferation, said that it was closing its office in Moscow. MacArthur had also been put on parliament's hit list.
Mr. Putin fears competition, opposition and any cry of dissent. In pursuit of absolute power, he is suffocating his own society.
This article was written by Editorial Board from The Washington Post and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
Read the original article on The Washington Post. Copyright 2015. Follow The Washington Post onTwitter.
Read the whole story
· · ·
ГРОЗНЫЙ, 30 июл — РИА Новости. Глава Чечни Рамзан Кадыров считает президента России Владимира Путина единственным политиком, который сможет координировать международные усилия по борьбе с "Исламским государством".
В интервью РИА Новости Кадыров заявил, что сейчас для уничтожения ИГ ничего не делается.
Террористическая группировка "Исламское государство" является на сегодняшний день одной из главных угроз мировой безопасности. За три года террористам удалось захватить значительные территории Ирака и Сирии. Кроме того, они пытаются распространить свое влияние в странах Северной Африки, в частности в Ливии. Единого фронта борьбы с ИГ нет: с группировкой борются правительственные войска Сирии и Ирака, международная коалиция во главе с США (пока ограничивается ударами с воздуха), а также курды и ливанские и иракские шиитские ополченцы.
"Ничего не делается для того, чтобы разрулить ситуацию. И они никогда не смогут этого добиться. Единственный человек, который может урегулировать ситуацию и стать гарантом, — это президент Путин", — считает глава Чечни.
По словам Кадырова, с Путиным на эту тему он не говорил.
"Я не обсуждал, я не имею права, я не министр иностранных дел и не руководитель Совбеза, чтобы об этом говорить. Исходя из ситуации, которая есть, Иран, Саудовская Аравия. Сирия, Эмираты — могут сегодня повлиять на ситуацию. И то, если они отстанут от той политики, которую проводят Запад и Европа. Единственный, кто может стать нейтральным, со статусом и силой и возможностями, авторитетом, — это Россия в лице президента страны Путина. Если он это сделает, то можно добиться мира и все это уладить", — уверен Кадыров.
Он признал, что "это огромный труд, большая ответственность, нагрузка на президента будет". "А так, в сегодняшней ситуации, никто не хочет этим заниматься. Если и Саудовская Аравия, и Эмираты, и Сирия примут такое решение и обратятся или Россия обратится, то можно сделать что-то там. А так — это катастрофа для всех и в том числе для России", — заключил глава Чечни.
Полный текст интервью читайте на сайте ria.ru в пятницу, 31 июля.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – NATO should ease its intensity of rhetoric in communications with Russia and not attach labels, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Thursday.
“The intensity of rhetoric should be decreased. Unnecessary labels should not be attached to us. The only thing we want to say is that the Russian Defense Ministry is ready to develop mutually beneficial international cooperation,” Antonov told journalists.
Moreover, NATO did not send representatives to the Army Games-2015 international contest, claiming the decision was political.
The Russian Defense Ministry previously stated, it hoped the United States and other NATO members would take part in the Army Games, organized by Moscow for the first time this year. Some 15 non-NATO countries are expected to take part in 13 military contests.
"We have invited NATO member states to come to visit us but they refused due to a number of political problems, as they explained," Anatoly Antonov told journalists.
The deputy minister noted that a visit by NATO representatives would improve bilateral relations between Russia and the alliance.
According to Antonov, Moscow is ready for a dialogue with NATO as "it is time to stop looking at each other through the tank sight."
Antonov said he would meet with US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft later in the day.
"Today I will have a meeting with the American ambassador," Antonov told journalists.
The official added that one of the first questions he was planning to ask Tefft was why there were no United States representatives at the press conference.
Antonov did not reveal additional topics for his discussion with the US ambassador.
The International Army Games, organized by the Russian Defense Ministry, will be held in various locations in Russia August 1-15. The competition will gather 57 teams from 17 countries.
NATO responded to the reunification of Crimea with Russia in March 2014 by amplifying its military posture along its borders with Russia. The West has accused Russia of aggression towards its neighbors and threatening NATO states.
Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations and warned the weapons build-up and military exercises on its borders are provocative and can destabilize the region.
In June 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow remains open to cooperating with its neighbors, and has no aggressive plans.
Read the whole story
· ·
The Russian government may ban 'gay emojis' from all social media platforms, if an investigation proves they violate the country's prohibition on what it calls gay "propaganda", Russian newspaperIzvestia has reported.
The Russian media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has confirmed it has sent a letter to the "Young Guard" of President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party to request their help in investigating the country's increasing use of same-sex emoji couples holding hands or kissing, such as the ones available on Apple iPhones, to see if their use breaches the country-wide ban on the publishing of materials that contradict traditional government-defined family values.
Act 11 of Federal Law in Russia amended and re-enacted on June 30, 2013, to include the banning of "propaganda" which promotes "non-traditional sexual relationships."
The original request for an investigation into social media platforms came from Mikhail Marchenko, the far-right Liberal Democratic Party of Russia's senator for the Bryansk region. Marchenko said he believed the use of smileys on social media platforms promoted homosexual symbolism.
Marchenko said that emojis are part of "the spread on social media of un-traditional sexual relations among minors," that "denies family values" and "form disrespect to parents and other family members".
Kiril Grychenko, spokesman for The Youth Guard, told the Izvestia newspaper that they have not yet received any letter from Roskomnadzor, but would be willing to look into the country's use of the emojis.
The Youth Guard is an organisation founded as part of Putin's United Russia party in 2003 to engage young voters. According to its website, it is the "largest youth organization in the country," which works on government projects and regional projects to engage young voters.
The group appointed a former Russian sleeper agent as its leader in 2010. Anna Chapman, who was part of a spy ring in the U.S., was praised by Putin and was assigned to work with "patriots and young business people," on her return from the U.S. The group has also been accused of extremism and intimidating journalists by opposition blogger and activist Alexei Navalny.
If found to be in violation of the law by Roskomnadzor, emojis will be banned for the "protection of children from information harmful to their health and development," under Act 11 of the Russian Federal Law.
The Russian government has been cracking down on individuals and companies deemed to be publishing information on same-sex relationships or promoting gay rights both online and offline since 2013.
Fines of 4,000-5,000 rubles ($67-83) can be placed on individuals and between 40,000-50,000 rubles ($670-$830) can be placed on officials deemed to be rejecting "traditional Russian values."
Foreigners can also be arrested, detained for up to 15 days and then deported, with fines of up to $83. Fines can be further increased if a person, official or business utilizes the media or internet to disseminate gay propaganda.
Fines of between 400-500,000 ($6,700-8,300) rubles can be placed on businesses and they can be closed down for up to 90 days.
On Wednesday, Elena Klimova, the founder of Deti-404, an online community for LGBT teenagers in Russia was fined 50,000 roubles ($830) after a Russian court judged that her website and social media pages were guilty of distributing "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors."
Read the whole story
· · ·
Russia is Putin its foot down about gay emojis
Cult of Mac-6 hours ago
When iOS 8.3 introduced new gay-friendly emojis, one person no doubt responding with a :( sad face was Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia Could Ban 'Gay Emojis'
Newsweek-2 hours ago
The Russian government may ban 'gay emojis' from all social media platforms, if an investigation proves they violate the country's prohibition ...
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 2
- Get link
- Other Apps
Comments
Post a Comment