While the world is watching events unfold in Egypt,
the political repression continues apace in Vladimir Putin's Russia, temporary refuge of
freedom fighter one Edward Snowden. Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption opposition leader facing a 6-year sentence on trumped-up theft charges, has labeled the Putin regime a "feudal order" that must be brought down. Navalny isn't the only example of Putin repression:
By week’s end, it was clear to anyone who held out hope to the contrary
that the future here looks more and more repressive. The authorities
appeared intent on using all their resources — police, courts,
legislature and media — to pursue that end and silence dissent for years
to come. [snip]
Oppressive laws have flowed steadily from Russia’s parliament over
the past year, making it illegal to hurt the feelings of religious
believers, imposing limits on protests and forcing nongovernmental
organizations such as election monitors to register as foreign agents if
they receive money from abroad.
Laws signed by Putin last week limit the rights of gays. One
bans gay pride rallies and makes it illegal to give minors any
information about homosexuality. Another prevents adoptions by same-sex
couples. The law says it must prevent “artificial imposition of
untraditional sexual behavior and spiritual suffering and stress, which,
according to psychologists, are often experienced by children with
same-sex parents.”
Sounds like a regime a Stalinist or teahadist could love.
