Posted on 03/18/2014 9:10:05 PM PDT by varmintman
WOW, a phenomenal bunch of revisionist Russian history.
IE a bunch of bullshit.
Why is it that you putin bootlickers keep pushing this?
I like the way he talks. We’re much alike, exactly ten years apart in age.
He is blunt, cold, confident and decisive. He’s not the kind of guy who wears his feelings on his sleeve.
But you can be in no doubt about where he stands.
The Russian Federation has a highly centralized political system, with power increasingly concentrated in the president, and a weak multiparty political system. The bicameral Federal Assembly consists of a lower house (State Duma) and upper house (Federation Council). Presidential elections in March featured accusations of government interference and manipulation of the electoral process. Security forces generally reported to civilian authorities; however, in some areas of the Northern Caucasus, there were serious problems with civilian control.
The most significant human rights problems during the year involved:
1. Restrictions of Civil Liberties: Following increased mobilization of civil society and mass demonstrations in reaction to elections, the government introduced a series of measures limiting political pluralism. During the year Russia adopted laws that impose harsh fines for unsanctioned meetings; identify nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as “foreign agents” if they engage in “political activity” while receiving foreign funding; suspend NGOs that have U.S. citizen members or receive U.S. support and are engaged in “political activity” or “pose a threat to Russian interests”; recriminalize libel; allow authorities to block Web sites without a court order; and significantly expand the definition of treason. Media outlets were pressured to alter their coverage or to fire reporters and editors critical of the government.
2. Violations of Electoral Processes: Domestic and international observers described the presidential campaign as skewed in favor of the ruling party’s candidate, Vladimir Putin. Procedural irregularities marred voting, with reports of vote fraud, administrative measures disadvantaging the opposition, and pressure on election monitoring groups. Several gubernatorial elections in October were likewise criticized.
3. Administration of Justice: Due process was denied during the detentions and trials of protesters arrested following the May 6 demonstration in Moscow in which a small group of the protestors engaged in violence; in the detention, trial, and sentencing of the members of the punk rock group Pussy Riot, who were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred; and searches and criminal cases lodged against several political activists. Individuals responsible for the deaths of prominent journalists, activists, and whistleblowers, notably Sergey Magnitskiy, have yet to be brought to be brought to justice. Other problems reported during the year included: allegations of torture and excessive force by law enforcement officials; life-threatening prison conditions; interference in the judiciary and the right to a fair trial; abridgement of the right to privacy; restrictions on minority religions; widespread corruption; societal and official intimidation of civil society and labor activists; limitations on the rights of workers; trafficking in persons; attacks on migrants and select religious and ethnic minorities; and discrimination against and limitation of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons.
The government failed to take adequate steps to prosecute or punish most officials who committed abuses, resulting in a climate of impunity. Rule of law was particularly deficient in the North Caucasus, where conflict among government forces, insurgents, Islamist militants, and criminal forces led to numerous human rights abuses, including killings, torture, physical abuse, and politically motivated abductions.
Useful idiots. Paid agents deserve respect, these are joe palookas.
We’re being overrun on FR.
Maybe they are paid agents. I have seen reports from Europe where Russian lackeys are active and have been identified on Internet forums.
Seriously!! Half of the fascist promoting putin bootlickers promote that jackass, the other half admire him.
WTH is going on around here?
“Ooops you forgot Stalin.”
Did you forget that Stalin wasn’t Russian?
HEY GENIUS
Get back on here and defend the crap you’re smearing.
And Hitler wasn’t German.
Are you going to contribute to the discussion or just shut it down?
They should get a refund. Maybe it would work on other forums, but it’s just getting irritating here.
Well done.
“Maybe they are paid agents. I have seen reports from Europe where Russian lackeys are active and have been identified on Internet forums.”
Who is paying you to spread discord on free republic?
Is there a single oblast in the Ukraine that is dominated by Russian speakers?
Putin has been in power since 2000. He was President from 2000 to 2008, PM from 2008-2012 (Putin actually was in charge using Medvedev as a puppet President because the Constitution prohibited him from a third term), and was elected President in 2012 for another 4 and probably 8 years.
Running a country for 14 years with a likely 6 more years in power is not exactly "tenuous." 20 years is a long run even for a dictator. And who is to say that Putin will not pull another rabbit out of the hat to extend his term beyond 20 years as either President or PM. Putin is a ruthless, corrupt dictator in the mold of previous Russian leaders from the Tsars, Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, etc.
I’m not shutting anything down.
I ask a simple question of all you fascist bootlickers....
why do you support it? why do you support an invasion of a sovereign nation?
You ran away from the question before, can you answer it now?
Seriously. You're going to discount Russia's history under Stalin?
And of course if Stalin is "Georgian" and not Russian, then it follows that Georgia, the country Putin invaded, and wants to control, is NOT Russian.
Americans for slavery! Shame, isn’t it. That’s the type that elected our current ruler, never mind the temporary confusion of these particular ones over the candidates - their idea is to support subjugation.
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