Russia has shown again how the dream of post-Soviet civil liberties has plummeted under the authoritarian ambitions of Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday, a Russian court sentenced a blogger to five years in jail for extremist views and advocacy. Terrorism? Religious fanaticism? No, Vadim Tyumenstev, 35, from the Siberian region of Tomsk, encouraged people to protest against corruption and high transport fares.
Local officials were incensed by the public discussion of their corruption and incompetence as well as his criticism of pro-Kremlin separatists in eastern Ukraine. Rather than refute the claims, they arrested him. The simply said that his call for people to attend a protest against the hike in local bus fares constitutes a call to overthrow the government.
It is a familiar approach in Russia from the Stalinist era. Of course, we must now just call it the Putinist era.
This is a little stict. Maybe Trump can speak to his buddy Putin and get the sentence reduced. I agree he should be convicted, there is no corruption in Russia and he should know it.
Here in the USA we just get the dissenters fired from their jobs.
Here is a link to a decision issued yesterday by the Wisconsin Supreme Court: http://www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=158428
Here is a newspaper article on it: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-supreme-court-rules-state-justice-department-did-not-violate/article_e6f6b34a-6854-513b-a086-79ca5c7a821d.html
The Yale video is here: https://reason.com/blog/2015/12/17/yale-students-eagerly-sign-petition-to-r
Nick, you’re correct as of today. But the First Amendment is under attack. See this rather disgusting video of Yale students signing a petition to repeal the First Amendment. These people will be in charge within a couple of decades. And it may not take that long. If a so-called progressive picks the replacements for Thomas and Scalia, the First and Second Amendments are toast.
Nick,
Our civil liberties are clearly under attack in the United States. Perhaps we can argue “we are still the most free” but we are moving in the wrong direction. Our massive administrative state would like nothing more than having the people fighting among themselves, with one side claiming these infringements are not as bad as other countries. We should all be in agreement the proper measure of liberty is not what we have left compared with other countries. We need more dissent against the current abusive regime, not less.
There is no country in the world that allows dissent more than the US. It’s the 1st Amendment, baby! But, those not smart enough to understand the 1st Amendment are those who want to curtail it. And in one particular case, a person not born here constantly complains about our wonderful liberal 1st Amendment and then ignorantly compares the US w/ Russia vis a vis dissent. Someone has started tapping the CC w/ Molson chasers early on NYE. LOL!
“locking up pot smokers for 50,60 years.” The Hate America pom pom squad is in action, using flat ass lies to make their case. I am a strong advocate for the legalization of cannabis. However, I’m smart enough to know you don’t effect righteous change w/ BLATANT LIES!
As far as this article goes, yeah, the Ruskies don’t allow much in the way of dissent. Neither does the US, locking up pot smokers for 50, 60 years. When ya have the upper hand, ya has the upper hand.
Putin should champion the Kurds and propose an independent Kurdistan along Turkey’s southern border made up of the areas predominantly populated already by Kurds. This would solve so many problems and make Russia the main player for a while. An independent Kurdistan would buffer Turkey from ISIS, give those battling ISIS a decisive military platform from which to launch attacks, supported by which ever major military powers that wish to participate.
Kurds from Turkey and elsewhere would, over time, move there. There is enough oil to fund a state. The country could be a long strip stretching from Northern Iraq, through Northern Syria, to the Med. Iraq is in no position to argue. Syria is owned, for the moment, by Russia. Putin could strap on a really big pair and perhaps even win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Interesting, but not all surprising
The Science Geek
http://www.thesciencegeek.org
Trump’s buddy.
Who did worse things, this guy in Russia or Snowden in America? Maybe we can do a swap. Let the Russian have sanctuary here and Putin can keep Snowden.
I’m sure many of our politicians are saying….why can’t we do that! The scary thing is they are serious.
They simply said that his call for people to attend a protest against the hike in local bus fares constitutes a call to overthrow the government.
I expect the same thing to happen here….as others have pointed out we seem to be at LEAST as bad as any other country when it comes to punishing “radicals”…..(and as soon as the Gov can put a label on you, the faster they can do whatever they like to you with no repercussions)…
When I get an earful then I will call it the Putinist Era. One question. In Russia, if some court sentences a human to five years incarceration does the inmate go to a jail or a prison? Here in Amerika a jail is for misdemeanor convicts and for pre trial detainees.
Snowden by any other name is a traitor. Just ask that dork on the news media named Chuck Todd. So Putin is on the same playing field as Obama. I wonder what Chucky boy would say.
No I dont. I do not watch the old news channels of CBS, NBC or ABC. I listen to Radio Moscow and Fox News. Different strokes for different folks and things come together in the end. All the news that’s fit to print.
How far away are we from Moscow in miles? How far away from Moscow are we in attitudes? What about latitudes? What kind of dude is Putin? What kind of dude is Obama? Do birds of a feather flock together? Perhaps this guy could escape to America and we could shield him while Putin shields Snowden.
Has Obama not tried to do the same with journalists here , or with the whistleblowers ? The guy that you basically agree with on the policies just that you don’t agree with the way he go about them , but of course that’s not in your opinion a reason to impeach…
Gee no links from Reuters to Russian publications? Instead we get the “authoritarian ambitions of Vladimir Putin” soundbite. So predictable it’s nauseating.
Here’s some media fun facts from a July 2012 article. http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6
1.) Six Corporations own 90% of ALL media in American, i.e. what we read, watch, or listen to.
2.) Those six corporations were consolidated from 50 companies back in 1983
3.) 232 media executives control the information diet of 277 million Americans.
4.) Total 2010 revenue for the big six was 275.9 billion.
5.) In 1995 the FCC forbade companies to own more than 40 stations
6.) Clear Channel owns 1200 stations
7.) 80% of radio stations playlists match
‪Speaking of big media: Putin Crushes BBC Smartass
Oh come on, Putin graduated from Leningrad State University Law School, which is ranked higher than Whittier.
And yet the US still incarcerates far more of its citizens than Russia does.