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Andrey Smirnov / AFP - Getty Images
A police officer detains a protester wearing white ribbons, a symbol of the Russian opposition, outside Russia's lower house of parliament in Moscow on Tuesday.
MOSCOW - Russian lawmakers have voted through a controversial bill that dramatically increases fines for those accused of participating in unauthorized public protests, state news agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.
The Upper House of the Duma – the country’s parliament – approved the bill despite anger from opponents of President Vladimir Putin and his ruling United Russia party.
It would boost fines from the current 5,000 rubles ($152) to 300,000 rubles ($9,225) for citizens participating in demonstrations at which public order or city rules are deemed to have been violated. Rally organizers could also face fines of up to 600,000 rubles ($18,454), RIA Novosti said. The bill requires Putin's signature to become law, but the president has already indicated he supports the measures.
Police detained about 20 activists protesting late Tuesday outside the Duma, Reuters reported.
'Putinization' spreading in Europe, US group says
The bill was proposed in response to big public rallies against Putin's second term as president.
'Monstrous'
Critics say it is being fast-tracked through the Duma ahead of a planned mass protest in Moscow on June 12.
"This is a monstrous bill which will essentially ban people from protesting," Sergei Mitrokhin, an opposition leader whose Yabloko party has no seats in parliament, told Reuters outside the Duma.
Moments later, he was roughly detained with other activists, many wearing the white-ribbon symbol of the anti-Putin movement.
In a sign he would brook no Western criticism on human rights or democracy, Putin – a 59-year-old former KGB officer - defended tougher rules governing protests as being in line with European norms.
Could Putin be in power until 2024? 10 key questions about Russia's elections
However, some of the original proposals in the bill, such as fines for Internet users who spread the word about rallies, were dropped.
Opposition leaders and rights activists, including U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, say the law violates the 31st article of Russia's constitution on the right to free assembly.
From March: Anti-Putin activists pay high price, but refuse to back down
Gennady Gudkov, a lawmaker with the opposition Just Russia party, described the bill as "draconian", saying it reflected the Kremlin's "fear of people", according to a BBC report.
"It is the path toward civil war, it is the path towards massive repression and we all know how that ends: in blood, poverty and revolution," Gudkov added.
Reuters and msnbc.com's Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Democracy.....Putin-style.
Just matter of time before you see blood on the streets of Moscow.
This is also known as Russian style democracy!
Here Putin and his gangsters decide everything.
Ton, Russia has a way of dealing with people who are violent. Remember how they dealt with those guys that took hostages in that church?
Actually, this started out as a ban on any public mention of GLBT people, which can carry fines of up to $16,000.00. This includes gay couples holding hands in public. Then, they thought, "Hey! Why stop there? We can just criminalize ALL publics displays of, well, whatever we don't want people displaying, including displeasure with the government. No matter that it's against our constitution to do this. We got away with violating it in the case of gays, so now there's no stopping us from violating it in the case of everyone."
This is why it's so important that equal rights be granted to all minorities, including gays, because, the second governments get away with oppressing one group, they'll expand the scope of such oppression to include everyone over whom said governments rule. The U.S. is no different. Just look at what Republicans have been trying to do the last few years as they've gotten away with taking away rights from gays. Now, they want to go back and take away rights from women and other minorities, undoing decades if not centuries of progress in human rights.
Let this latest example of Russian oppression of its people serve as a warning of what to expect from our own government if we keep letting it take away the rights of minorities, no matter how strongly you hate any one particular group and think you're justified in doing so even behind the guise of religion. You never know when you'll be next.
Corupt gangsters, the people have a right to protest , i see the way people are treated in Canada and the States also.
Well, if you protest without authorization in the US, the draconian/gangsters/etc US police will spray your face, remove you by force and beat you and arrest you if you resist.
The Russian police give you a ticket.
They usually use force and a ticket moron. What planet are you from?
Putin is nothing more than a street punk who wants to be the next Tsar. He is not interested in public discourse or the welfare of the Russian people. His loyalty is to his oligarch princes and the protection of their criminal networks. The down side for Putin is that he cannot keep up with the US. Obama has eliminated his international base and dropped the price of oil to a point where Russia can no longer remain financially solvent. It is only a matter of time. Watch for any entries by people who have been hired by Putin's FSB gang to try and post their propaganda and push back.
After win last night, Scott Walker's aides are translating this bill from Russian to English. Kidding! I hope -
After last nights win for Wisconsin you would think the politicians and political pundits would realize that though they are locked in like laves to their ideologue the American people are not. Wisconsin is a "Blue State", the fact that a GOP governor survived recall, in a state that has almost always voted Democrat for President, is a loud shout to all politicians that Americans are not locked into voting by party only.
No one in Washington should be smug this morning.
We The People are not the sheep you take us for granted as.
Last night's winners will say they have a clear direction to proceed. The losers will say the results make no difference. They are both wrong.
I'm afraid that the win last night just shows how pathetically complacent and ignorant many US citizens are becoming in regards to fellow citizens rights. 1984 is getting closer and closer all the time.
Looks like Occupy Moscow is on a rocky road.
Putin's way of discouraging dissent! Don't worry Obama and the democrats will do the same thing here in the good ole US of A.
Seek help Bill, your Fox hole is overcrowded and effecting rational statements.
Bill , I think you have it backward.
After Republicans take control and start to divvy up the rest of our country to their fellow corporate cronies , who do you think will be able to escape their treachery ? You? Me ?
Guess again. They will always find a reason to not include you me or anyone else that doesn't fit their mold. And trust me - you don't fit their mold.
Stop being a pawn - Stop playing their game
KMC, you got it all wrong. The only people that get left out are the ones who would rather be parasites instead of working.
Oh DOH DOH, Do you mean the poor/middle working class that will make less and line more of Mr. Money Bag's pockets. Get real. They only care about their bottom line. And what they can morally get away with , while judging those they feel below them (most of us) as those parasites, and not worthy of anything they see fit. Period!
doh doh -Judging by your moniker - what makes you think you're one of them?
LMAO
I've worked hard all of my life , paid my taxes ( the fair and unfair ones ) , managed to have a very decent portfolio and don't often complain about protestors. It's OUR right.
But if you think for one minute that you are I are going to be treated fairly - well, as the saying goes - I've got some water front land for sale. Seems you'll buy anything.
Where in the hell are all of the 'free world' leaders, who should be commenting on this totalitarianism step by Russian politicians. By continually thinking that they can let issues like this go by, and still conduct profitable business relationships with such countries, they are merely setting themselves up for a big, big fall in the future. The writing is on the wall, and it doesn't have a happy ending.
"It is the path toward civil war, it is the path towards massive repression and we all know how that ends: in blood, poverty and revolution," Gudkov added.
It appears that there are going to be long battles before some democracy is noticed in Russia and other places like it.
People will only sit back for so long who is going to fine a million angry protesters
Indians are very Clever and Liars. When the Russians Increased the price of Admiral Gorshkov the Indians looted back the same money by giving loss to the Russian company Sistema and thus the Russian Government by showing it as a loss. The same way the Indians want to loot the British company Vodafone by levying it a Tax and increasing the License charges and Norwegian company Telenor by giving it a Loss and Cancelling the licenses. This is called Corporate looting where foreign companies are looted in the guise of Corporate lossess. GOD BLESS THE USA and RUSSIA.
Kevin Valentine Moraes
Mira Road (Thane)
the U.S. has a new way, it is called the "KILL LIST"
If they did that here, how in the world would OWS folks pay that much while living in their parents basements?
The OWS crowd would be screwed with as many public laws as they break during their protests. LOL! Their Parents would file for bankruptcy trying to bail them out!
Yeah, like Russia is EVER going to authorize a public protest! Putin and his mob will soon have Russia back in the cold war, supplying Syria and Iran with weapons and joining forces with China to try and take over as much of Africa as possible.
"Due to Obama signing House Resolution 347, any action that "impedes" or "disrupts" "government business" or an "official function" is punishable by a 10-year jail sentence.
Sure, this law will stop Occupy Wall Street (how the law is being spun), but now it's lawful for the government to keep everyone from protesting or speaking out at all at any event that the Secret Service designates as having "national significance"."
From California to New York, from Canada to any so called democratic European countries the reactions or the over reactions of the governments towards demonstrations are usually brutal & undemocratic.
And a Democrat signed this - Is it 1984 yet?
Wonder how long it will take for some incompetent politician in this country to introduce this type of legislation.
RIP Russian Democracy.
Let the people speak!
you can just imagine who will and who won't be authorized. be honest and just bring back stalin.
I am sure Mayor Bloomberg loves the idea, raise revenue and get rid of ugly protesters,
"screw rights and freedom, lets try that!"
You first.
Wouldn't surprise me if Republicans do this. They just need to make protesting a criminal offense and all of a sudden all the tea party members will start backing them off saying protesters are commies.
All Russians are created equal ... but some are more equal than others. And soon the rest of the barnyard could not tell the difference between the pigs and the humans. Hmmm.
All Americans have the right to petition their government! Let us see if there is any individual who can beat the lobbyists, the bankers, the wall streets thieves and in short the 1%. Therefore all Americans are created equal...but those "financial terrorists" who bought the world to its knees are more equal than others. They are still running free enjoying the loot! The best democracy MONEY can buy - for the rich, by the rich and of the rich. "WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR SOME" is a book which I enjoy reading. First know your country well, inside out.
Another step towards the end of democracy in Russia. Say hello to Hitler for me next time you talk to him Putin.
Critical times hard to deal with, will be here. Russia also tried to ban Christian Bible based literature and they lost
in the court of Humans Rights. Putin stated that the literature was a threat to the state. Also, they were harassed
for gathering and worhip However,with Putin back in power freedom of Christians may be banned there.
Why do people commenting on the same sort of stuff going on in the US make it a partisan issue when clearly both Democrats and Republicans both pass laws to support the establishment of a police state? They only sometimes differ on the particulars.
Well we can certainly see that Putin hasn't lost a beat in his war against individual freedoms in Russia.
When the law does not work in Putin's favor, he changes them. When the public does not like the laws he
fines them 2 years pay. This from a country that ranks 3rd in the world for billionaires. Over 100 of them. Beat out by the US #1, China #2, Russia #3. How is that for the rich being job creators.
Prtotesters approve killing Russian lawmakers.
Putin is driving Russia toward civil war and causing death and destruction worldwide as seen in Syria. Putin is a murder and thief, he will cause more death and destruction before the Russian People revolt. To the Russian people, freedom is worth dying for, you can clearly see the evil that Putin represents and the damage he is doing to Russia. Only the Russian People can stop the madness.
I hate the fact that lately all the bible thumpers are using propaganda to spread lies about what the bible actually says and what they want is to say, but I am glad we live in a country that we are free to express our opinions, and be free, oh wait ...... that's right some of us aren't free to the right to pursue happiness, and justice for all I forgot, if it were up to them we would all be just alike and worship the same thing and look alike and act alike. Thanks for putting us on the say track as the Russian's, one power under one person with no freedom of expression or individuality.