Russia Reform Monitor: No. 1780

May 2:

Under pressure from Christian and Muslim figures alike following his call for the institution of sharia law in Russia, Muslim lawyer Dagir Khasavov has chosen to leave the country. The Prosecutor General's Office, in conjunction with the Russian Institute of Cultural Studies, has already determined that Khasavov's comments did demonstrate extremist ideas, in violation of Russina law, and the director general of the television station that aired Khasavov's statement has been officially warned, according to RIA-Novosti. The Federal Chamber of Lawyers immediately moved to revoke Khasavov’s membership in their organization, citing violations of federal ethics laws. The Russian Interior Ministry continues to evaluate the lawyer’s statement for evidence of extremism.

May 3:

Tensions over U.S. and NATO plans for a missile defense shield in Europe continue to escalate following retaliatory threats from the Russian military. According to the Associated Press, Russian military officials have warned that if Washington persists with its plan for the deployment of anti-missile capabilities in Eastern Europe, it will carry out a preemptive strike on the sites. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov further cautioned that discussions about the subject between Moscow and Washington are “close to a dead end.” However, the news agency reports, the warning doesn’t seem to suggest an immediate threat, but rather represents an attempt to pressure the U.S. to agree to the Kremlin’s demands for written reassurances regarding the shield’s targets.

May 4:

Nikolai Alexeyev, a prominent Russian gay rights activist, has become the first to be convicted by Russian courts of spreading “gay propaganda” to minors. The conviction, the Associated Press reports, is the result of controversial legislation passed in St. Petersburg back in February that banned such activities, and carries a fine of $170. Gay rights activists have expressed their concern that the vague language of the law could be used to prevent public demonstrations. Alexeyev has vowed to appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.

May 6:

Police and protestors clashed in cities across Russia a day before Vladimir Putin’s planned inauguration for his third presidential term. Reuters reports that riot police were brought into Moscow to disperse 20,000 protestors carrying banners and flags and chanting “Russia without Putin.” 250 people were arrested, including prominent opposition leaders Alexei Navalny, Boris Nemtsov, and Sergei Udaltsov, while protestors at another rally in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok carried a black coffin bearing the word “democracy” through the streets.

May 7:

Vladimir Putin has been sworn in for his third term as Russia’s president at a ceremony held in the former throne room of the Russian czars. If Putin completes the six-year term, the BBC reports, he will become Russia’s longest- serving leader since Joseph Stalin. In a short speech following the swearing-in, Putin said that the “impulse of modernization” started by his predecessor and protege, Dmitry Medvedev, must continue to be pursued, as should the strengthening of Russian democracy and constitutional rights. “I consider it to be the meaning of my whole life and my obligation to serve my fatherland and our people,” he added.

May 8:

In a surprising show of dissent, nearly a third of the Russian Parliament’s members voted against the appointment of Dmitry Medvedev as the next Prime Minister. Members from the Just Russia party and the Communist Party banded together to oppose the power swap, prompting questions about whether the Parliament may be moving away from its habitual role as a rubber stamp of approval for the Kremlin. The dominant party, United Russia, lost its constitutional majority in last year’s parliamentary elections, The New York Times reports, and the subsequent anti-Putin protests recently received the public support of Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov. Medvedev responded only that “as prime minister, I will be open to all political forces,” while newly sworn-in President Vladimir Putin reacted more harshly. “I am sure,” he said, “that the work of the government and the Parliament will be constructive despite the well-known opposition of some deputies in this hall.”