December 10:
Independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta has received an official warning from the government for allegedly “promoting extremist views.” According to the Washington Post, the accusation resulted from a follow-up article to a study of neo-Nazi groups which incorporated quotes from the groups’ websites. The warning is the latest blow to the paper, which has seen six of its journalists murdered or killed under mysterious circumstances. Alexander Lebedev, part-owner of the paper along with former Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, has charged that the consistent attacks on the paper and its journalists have created a “deficiency of free speech.” The paper has already lost an appeal of the warning, but plans to take its complaint to Russia’s Constitutional Court, and possibly even to the European Court of Human Rights.
December 12:
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has issued a decree authorizing additional law enforcement measures. Azerbaijan's Trend news agency reports that the new order, issued following the massacre of 12 people in the Krasnodar region, allows for coordination meetings among Russian governors and top officials in order to “boost crime prevention efforts." President Medvedev has maintained that the new measures do not shift crime prevention responsibilities from law enforcement agencies to executive bodies, but rather make regional crime prevention more effective.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has published an article in Novaya Gazeta warning that Russia’s trend away from democratization is a threat to the country’s future stability. Gorbachev fingered the lack of political plurality, dubious electoral results, “shrinking media freedom, and rampant corruption,” as factors that have slowed Russia’s development, reports the Associated Press. The article never directly mentioned Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, though Gorbachev did note the political changes of 2005 and 2006 (during Putin’s second presidential term), and blamed them for democratic regression. The former General Secretary acknowledged and even praised current president Medvedev’s recent warnings of stagnation, but criticized him for not offering a plan for improvement.
December 13:
A riot just outside the Kremlin involving nearly 5,500 soccer fans has left 32 people injured and 66 under arrest. According to the Moscow Times, the rally was organized to demand the investigation of the December 5th murder of a soccer fan who was shot during a clash with North Caucasus natives. The rally became violent after protestors noticed a group of dark-skinned bystanders nearby. Police attempts to remove the group from the scene led to growing tensions, culminating in a violent crackdown by riot police.
If the European Union passes a new human rights law currently up for debate, as many as 60 Russians - including several senior state officials - will face severe penalties. The law, reports London's Telegraph, proposes a ban on visas for these individuals, as well as the seizure of any personal assets held within the EU, for their alleged involvement in the death of 37-year-old lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. Colleagues of the former lawyer for UK-based hedge fund Hermitage Capital took their case to the EU after Russian officials failed to pursue an investigation into Magnitsky’s death. Canadian and U.S. legislatures are currently said to be debating similar bills.
December 15:
President Dmitry Medvedev has criticized the slow rate of economic modernization in Russia, blaming a lack of organization and financing. He additionally counseled Russian companies not to rely on government funds, reports the Moscow Times, explaining that otherwise Russians would “never create normal innovation business.” He did, however, acknowledge that government funding will continue for “the most important research projects.” The President’s comments were made at the launch of the Skolkovo innovation center, where he marked the future locations for the laboratories and assorted infrastructure. A total of 16 projects are currently slated for construction as a part of the technology center.
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