Russian police are accused of pulling a dissident website owner, Magomed Yevloyev of Ingushetiya.ru, off a plane near Chechnya, shooting him in the head, and dumping his body along a road.
Authorities confirm that police did arrest Yevloyev and took him off his plane. The next people saw of him was after he was dumped along a road with a bullet in his head.
Yevloyev has championed the cause of civilians in the area, angering the authorities with accounts of abuse. In June, the government secured a court order to shutdown his prior site for spreading “extremist” statements, but he simply creating a new site.
The incident is part of a well-documented shift by Putin back toward an authoritarian system of government.
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CroMM,
I believe Obama would target bloggers, just as McCain would. He voted for FISA and he said nothing as the press was suppressed at the Democratic convention. They would either one be imperial presidents.
Interestingly, one Democratic congressman from MN is trying to monitor police actions against demostrators, newsreporters and attys. at the rnc. (Check democracynow.org for more info on that.)
The ACLU is correct to be vigilant for our rights, no matter what party is in power.
I have been hearing all kinds of bizarre announcements lately from those on the right and left. Many left wing people I know will barely acknowledge there was repression of free speech at the Democratic convention. This is dangerous. No one should let their party get away with violations of the press and the arresting of peacful protesters. I am still trying to understand why the libertarian wing of the Republican party is not screaming from the rooftops about the police state action at the rnc. Silence is complicity–on the left or the right.
As a blogger, I am sure we are all targets should McCain and his new “Super-Neocon” sidekick, Sarah Palin, or as I like to call her, “Sarin” manage to seize power.
McCain doesn’t “like” bloggers.
I doubt Sarin likes us too.
No worries; I’m sure the officers can easily get asylum from the Bush administration and a substantial raise working as part of Cheney’s security detail or Blackwater.