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Russia's sham dictatorship

23.05.13

In recent months, Russia has adopted a slew of regulations – on freedom of assembly, free speech, the Internet, non-governmental organizations, gays and foreign adoptions – that would place it among the most repressive and backward nations on Earth.

Only one difference: So far, no one is bothering to enforce most of the rules.

Ever since Russians took to the streets en masse to protest the rigged parliamentary elections of December 2011, the country’s legislators have been working to settle scores. New laws set hefty fines for unsanctioned gatherings, create a procedure to shut down websites with “extremist” content and threaten journalists with prison terms for slander. Non-governmental organizations, some of which were active in documenting vote irregularities, must register with the Justice Ministry as “foreign agents” and mention this humiliating status in all their materials.

When President Vladimir Putin signed the bills into law last summer, one might have expected him to turn Russia into the political equivalent of China or worse. As it happens, the enforcement has been decidedly spotty.

Source: Fort Wayne Journal Gazette