"Russia will soon be a one party state"

[Arrian]

Huzzah for freedom of the press:

MOSCOW - A Russian court ordered the release of a reporter committed to a psychiatric hospital for nine months after writing articles critical of the military campaign in Chechnya, an international journalism watchdog said Thursday.

Andrei Novikov was one of several journalists and opposition activists who have been sent to psychiatric hospitals in Russia in recent years — reviving a punitive practice widely used in the Soviet era.

Novikov was working as an online reporter for Chechenpress, a news service connected with Chechen separatist government, when he was convicted last December on charges of sedition and inciting violence for two e-mail messages he sent to newspapers.

He was sentenced to three years in prison, but in January a psychiatric commission determined that he had "anti-social behavior" and on Feb. 14 ordered him committed to a hospital in Rybinsk, about 150 miles northeast of Moscow, Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.

Last month, another commission concluded there was nothing wrong with Novikov and a Rybinsk court ordered him released on Wednesday, the Paris-based journalism group said.

It was unclear if he was already free. Authorities at the Rybinsk hospital could not be reached for comment late Wednesday, and Novikov's relatives could not be immediately located.

"It seems that Russia' special services and psychiatrists are still empowered to take charge of anyone whose words or actions stray from the Kremlin line," Reporters Without Borders said. "The use of punitive confinement is very dissuasive for all those who might be tempted to express their disagreement with the authorities."

During the Soviet era, dissidents were frequently committed to psychiatric hospitals as punishment for bucking Soviet policies and propaganda.

The practice has reappeared in recent years, most notably in July when opposition activist Larisa Arap was ordered to a psychiatric clinic in the northern city of Murmansk. Supporters said it was punishment for her critical reporting.

She was released six weeks later.

Western propoganda!!!1111!!!

-Arrian

[Serb]

Originally posted by Saras
russian elections are gay. FACT:

wtf?

[Serb]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Deny as you please. The only non-Putin centric party is the communist party and they only control around 10% of the seats. Russia is a defacto one party state and you know it.

In this case every country where one party has majority in its parliament is defacto a one party state. Btw, how long liberal democrats rule in Japan? Since the end of WW2, no?
So, Japan is a one party dictatorship, right?

[Serb]

Originally posted by Myrddin


No, the journalists NOT the bosses made the decision in 1996.

The situation is different now where journalists get shot as well as fired.

Ten years ago journalist death rate was MUCH higher than it is now.

[Serb]

Originally posted by Arrian
Western propoganda!!!1111!!!

BINGO.

Well, if you agitate for: "let's bombard the Russian cities" in press, you should be ready to be charged with extremism in court. But our courts are far from perfect. If you have money and powerfull patrons you can evade the jail.
I knew the guy who murdered a man, but then evaded the jail, because psychiatric commission determined that he is crazy and needs treatment in hospital. We fought each other many times when we were kids. He was a tough mofo, but certainly not a crazy one.
My bet that it is the case with Novikov, with only exception that it made him look like a martyr. A perfect solution for his agenda.

p.s. Don't know any details about Arap.

p.p.s. **** the terrorists and their agitators!

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by Serb


Ten years ago journalist death rate was MUCH higher than it is now.

Great, now they've learned it's better to shut up on their own initiative.

[Serb]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
"FOUR-PARTY PARLIAMENT?

Damn true.

Kremlin opponents and non-governmental groups say they have registered large numbers of violations of election rules.

No sh!t, Sherlock? How surprising. (esp, after the orange crap in the Ukraine). Isn't it weird that the West was pretty satisfied with over 90% Saakashvily win in Georgia? He is the guy who really kills his political opponents, close independent mass-media (and destroy the property of the owners of the opposition's chanell (pogrom at Imedia TV-station) to make sure their TV-station will not be in air during election campaign, beat and poison protesters and establish the emeregency situation in the country. No, no, no, he is a beacon of democracy on post-Soviet space).

F*cking hypocrite b!tches.

They have reported dozens of cases of people being told by their employers to turn up for work on Sunday where managers will check if they voted, and of people being registered to vote in more than one polling station.

Piece of sh!t and complete idiotism.

At the voting station, when I was trying to get into the same cabine with my wife, I was stoped by the security officer, becuase it's against the law - every person should make a free choice.

This is technically impossible to get the ballot to your work to let your manager check it and then brought it back to the polling station.

This is the most insane thing I heard from your media about our election. Pure moronism. Priceless bullsh!t!:b

I have an impression that most of you believe that Russia is some kind of land of idiots, a far, far away tundra populated by silly, brainless aborigens, where everything, even the most stupid and unbelieveble thing is possible.

Western governments are concerned that Europe's main ODIHR vote monitoring watchdog -- widely regarded as the yardstick for elections in ex-Soviet states -- will not be at the vote. The body pulled out, citing obstruction from Moscow.

Bullsh!t. They didn't want to minotor it, because they perfectly knew that Putin will win (all opinion polls showed that) and they can do nothing about it, except to stay home and then complain - we didn't monitor it, so it's crap (and the fact that other 300 foreign observers (including Europe and US) monitored the election is surelly nothing, right?).

How many foreign observers YOU had at your last elections in USA?
NONE.
So, shut the **** up, you "transparent democrats".

A senior member of the United Russia party said it was not up to foreign observers to determine if the election was fair. "It is not foreign election observers who guarantee democracy in Russia, but first and foremost it is the will and political culture of the people," said Lyubov Sliska, deputy speaker of the State Duma lower house of parliament.

And she is quite correct. The will and political culture of the Russians is the guarantee of democracy in Russia, not the will and political culture of the foreign observers.

Western diplomats said the absence of ODIHR monitors would make it hard for them to assess the election.
"We normally wait for the ODIHR report and then align ourselves with it, but without it, we're in a difficult position," said one diplomat.

No sh!t? Wow! Poor, poor Western diplomats, they have no clue about what's going on and rely only on ODIHR's reports to make up their minds (who cares about other European, Asian and American monitors?). If ODIHR refuses to monitor the election in Russia - blame Putin!

**** this bullsh!t.

Btw, how your poor Western diplomats made their opinion about elections in USA, where ODIHR has NO LEGAL CHANCE TO MONITOR, because it's against YOUR LAWS for foreign observers to monitor YOUR elections?

United Russia leader Boris Gryzlov urged people to turn out to vote. "In effect this will be a referendum, a referendum in support of Vladimir Putin," he said.

And this is true. It was a a referendum in support of Vladimir Putin. In my own case, it was appreciation of 8 years of Putin's presidency. By voting for him (for the first time in my life) I gave him 5/5 for those 8 years, despite I was hostile towards him in 1999. I would give him 5/5 only for almost doubling of our economy (78% GDP growth within 8 years). And most of the Russians agree with me.
And I would like to thank Mr. Putin for his excellent job.
Thank you Mr. Putin, you were a great president. I regreat that you will quit the office at March, but aside your idiotic western critics, I know, and always knew that you will. Because you are a real democrat, who keeps his word.

It was important that "all those who believe in the new Russia should come to the polling stations and vote for the country's future," Gryzlov said.

And this is again true. Who the **** do you think should decide the future of the country, but not its citizens?

Turnout at the last parliamentary election in 2003 was just under 56 percent.

And this time it was 63%.

The opposition Yabloko party, one of several expected to fall short of the threshold for seats, wrapped up its campaign with a rally of about 300 people in Moscow.

WOW! 300 Spartans in one of the largest cities of the World with over ten million population.
Those 300 should rule the ten million Moscow! Hell, they should rule entire Russia! Who cares about the rest over 140 MILLIONS?
THIS IS SPARTA!!!!

Fortunately, this is not Sparta.

THIS IS RUSSIA.

And please keep that in mind.

"We live in a country without independent courts, without independent political institutions and without a free press," party leader Grigory Yavlinsky told his supporters. "

Hell yeah, we are doomed, the end is near, but we'll keep fight in shadows - says the leader of Spartans.
I'm so scared, really And so surprised that loosers whine after their defeat.

[Serb]

Originally posted by Oncle Boris


Great, now they've learned it's better to shut up on their own initiative.

Or the situation in the country has drastically improved.

[Serb]

Double post.

[Serb]

If anyone is still wandering why Russian liberals lose, check this meaningful academic source (International Herald tribune):

Why Russian liberals lose
By Nicolai N. Petro Published: December 4, 2007

KINGSTON, Rhode Island:

Several attempts by the alliance known as "Another Russia" to organize protest rallies in Russia's most populous cities, including the recent fiascoes in Moscow and St. Petersburg, have revealed an indisputable truth - those who call themselves the liberal opposition in Russia are neither competent nor popular.

Their most respectable showing last summer garnered at most 5,000 participants. Since then, these numbers have dwindled into the hundreds, with local police officers and foreign journalists usually far outnumbering the actual demonstrators.

Why have Russia's self-proclaimed "liberals" done so badly at attracting popular support?

Granted, the country's booming economy hasn't made their arguments for removing Vladimir Putin an easy one. Still, with potential support of up to 40 percent, well known cultural and political figures in their corner and plenty of money from business elites, it is astonishing how badly the liberals have performed.
Part of the reason goes back to an early decision to enter into alliances that severely tarnished the reputation of many of Russia's leading liberal politicians.

In a misguided effort to gain more visibility, several moderate politicians - including Vladimir Ryzhkov, Irina Khakamada, Grigory Yavlinsky, Mikhail Kasyanov and Boris Nemtsov - embraced two highly questionable figures: the entrepreneur/chess champion Garry Kasparov, who, as a former member of the advisory council of the U.S.-based Center for Security Policy has longstanding ties to a number of vociferously anti-Russian American neo-conservatives, and Eduard Limonov, the leader of the ethno-nationalist National Bolshevik Party (NBP).

Limonov, who has called for the use of "Serbian tactics" to regain regions of the former Soviet Union with large Russian populations, is much more than an "accidental ally" of the liberals (as the Washington Post has reported).

He approached the group that spawned Another Russia soon after it was established in March 2004 and suggested that the committee might be able to put the expertise of his "fighters" to good use. Expertise like brandishing a fake grenade to occupy St. Peter's Church in Riga, Latvia, for which several NBP members served prison time. Limonov himself was convicted of illegal arms purchases in April 2001 and served two years in prison.

While some former allies, including Yavlinksy and Kasyanov, have since parted company with Another Russia, others - like Kasparov, Ryzhkov and Nemtsov - continue to justify the alliance as necessary to circumvent the Kremlin's control of the media.

But it is hard to believe that there are many people in Russia who have no inkling of what this opposition stands for. More than a quarter of the population has regular access to the Internet, which remains totally unfiltered in Russia, and that 13 percent deem it their main source of information - double that in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Even before the current election season began, media surveys showed that in 2005, the two leading liberal parties - the Union of Right Forces and Yabloko - accounted for 23.8 percent of all times that political parties were mentioned on the country's seven major TV channels. In 2006 this figure was only 14 percent.

Too low? Perhaps, but still much higher than the total percentage of the electorate that ever voted for either of these two parties. This does not take into account that during the past month, the 11 political parties running for the Duma each received at least three hours of prime national television air time.

While Kasparov avers that, but for the regime's censorship, the Russian people would flock to his cause, Yavlinksy is probably closer to the truth when he told a reporter that his party has a 97-percent name recognition.

The problem, it seems, is not that the opposition cannot get its message to the Russian public - nor even the message itself. The problem is with the messengers, who have managed to alienate their natural constituency - Russia's growing middle class.

What you would do if faced with the following choice:

One, a political movement that unites a former chess champion whose family resides overseas, a former prime minister popularly nicknamed "Misha 2 percent" because of alleged kickbacks for authorizing government-backed loans to private firms, and an ex-punk rocker released from prison a few years ago who vows to restore the Russian empire by any means necessary.

Two, the party of Vladimir Putin, which has pledged to continue the policies that have increased average salaries from $81 a month to $550 a month, which has dramatically increased social spending and reduced the poverty level from 27 percent to 15 percent.
Some Russian liberals simply seem unaware of how much the country has changed. Yavlinsky, for example, recently remarked that he hardly reads the news ("I have aides to do that") and hasn't watched Russian television in four or five years.

Then there's the damage done by the opposition's apparent contempt for the very people whose support they seek. Boris Berezovsky, who claims to be financing the opposition from his exile in London, has said: "The problem is that, for centuries, the Russian authorities have been violating the Russian people, turning them into cattle." This bovine image of the Russian electorate is a favorite of the country's liberal elite. Their cynical assumption seems to be that politics doesn't need to appeal to the people at all, that it is really about replacing bad people-herders with good people-herders.

What does it matter how people vote, or even if they vote at all if - as Limonov vowed at the last Moscow rally before the elections - Another Russia does not intend to accept any results as legitimate?

Is it any wonder that most Russians view the opposition as simply wanting to take away the prosperity they have worked so hard to obtain?

Is it any wonder that the Western media's uncritical adulation of this opposition, and of Another Russia in particular, is regarded by many Russians with deep suspicion?

Far from indicating a retreat from democracy, the Russian electorate's rejection of the current opposition may be a sign of the country's progress toward a mature democracy.

--------------------------------------------------
Nicolai N. Petro teaches international politics at the University of Rhode Island. He served as the U.S. State Department's special assistant for policy on the Soviet Union under President George H. W. Bush.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/04/opinion/edpetro.php?page=2

[Serb]

Originally posted by GePap

And if they make parlimetary speeches, I am sure the Putin allied press will give them lots of airtime....

All 11 parties participated in the election had equal airtime (in contrast to 1996, for example).
Furthermore, United Russia DID NOT participated in the debates (and thus provided a handicap to the rest 10).

[Serb]

Originally posted by Oerdin
A new BBC report comes up with some startling new harassment alegations and a very good reason why "Fraud will be higher then ever". This look bad for Russia even with Serbs boundless optimism.
Harassment claims mar Russia poll

I have a boring Saturday's shift and have nothing to do, thanks God the election is over (and I am a chief of the unit of my company (the largest ISP in my region) who was responsible for delivery of the election results to Moscow from my 1.5 million Omsk region. The central election commitee really f*cked my brains within the last month, so I feel a bit exhausted, but still happy that everything went fine and there were no any f*ck-ups) so feel it's gonna be a long talk, buddy.
And I'm a boundless optimist (and realist). That's true.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured foreign ambassadors that the parliamentary election on Sunday will be honest, transparent and - as he put it - "without systematic flaws or shortcomings".

But already some election monitoring groups and human rights organisations have accused the authorities of trying to manipulate the result by intimidating the opposition and pressurising voters into supporting the ruling party - United Russia.

Could they be more specific, please?
How exactly the authorities intimidating the opposition and pressurising voters into supporting the ruling party?

Although in many ways this is a non-election - as it is widely assumed United Russia will again win a massive majority - much more rides on the result now that Mr Putin has become the party's top candidate.

And it won. Which is another prove that most of the Russians support Putin. If he becomes one of the party's top (and the only, btw) candidate, it's not really surprising that this party will gain a president popularity bonus. Is it surprising to you? I thought you belive in democracy.

United Russia is portraying the vote as a referendum on Mr Putin's eight years in office.

A pretty smart move in their advertesing campaign, if you ask me.

And when he visited Krasnoyarsk early in the campaign, Mr Putin himself increased the stakes by saying a big majority would give him the "moral right" to continue to wield political influence even after he comes to the end of his term as president next spring.

Bullsh!t. It's a typicall bullsh!t of your media. He never said so.
I can traslate what he said word to word, if you like.

Fraud allegations

There is another key difference from the last election.

All the 85 powerful regional governors now owe their loyalty to the Kremlin. Instead of being elected by the local population, they are directly appointed by Mr Putin.

LIE.

First of all, many democracies have appointed governors instead of elected ones (iirc,: Brasil, Poland, the beacon of democracy - Georgia, and many, many others).
Secondly, they are not directly appointed by Mr. Putin. the party which won the election into the local parliament gives its list of candidates to the president. He approves one candidate. Then the local parliament votes and approve the chosen candidate. The local parliament (and to be more preciese - the party that won the elections in this region) has the final word, NOT THE PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA.

No surprise, then, that 75% of the governors have decided to run as the top candidates for the ruling party in their regions.

Really? Why only 75 percents of the governors, if all of them are Kremlin's puppets?

"Now there is an unique factor that was never before present in elections," said Nikolai Petrov, an expert on Russian regional government at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Moscow.

**** Carnegie Endowment and its adepts. These bastards did nothing good for Russia.

"The goal for governors is to deliver as many votes as possible... it is an exam for them to prove their loyalty and efficiency.

It's true, to some extent. It's a feature of idiotism of the Russian bureaucracy. The local governers were always licking Kremlin's **** (thanks to the "democrat" Eltsin who established this practice), but in reality such their attempts have negative impacts on the mind of the voters.

"So I would say that fraud is inevitable and will be higher than ever," Mr Petrov said.

**** Mr. Petrov. He lives in a fatasy world of Mr. Carnegie.

'Warning'

WOW! ACHTUNG!!! I'm so scared!

A dingy apartment block in Krasnoyarsk might seem a strange place to go in search of evidence of this election being manipulated.

Yeah, it's really a strange place. I agree. But the one who looks hard, sooner or later finds something. (It's a Russian saying).

But inside one of the small flats there was a civil servant who was willing to talk to us because - as she put it - she was "so disgusted with United Russia". She asked us to disguise her identity.

We have another saying in Russia with regard to that kind of news (unsigned statements). In this case we say: these news were provided to you by the OOFS News Agency.
Where OOFS stands for One Old Fart Says.

Which is just a replacement for classic "bullsh!t".

At a meeting at work three weeks ago, she says (who_tf is she?) she was told by her manager (who_tf is he?) that she would be responsible (how?) for all the staff in the office living in the same district as her.
"On voting day, all of them have to call me by midday to say that they have voted for United Russia," she said (WOW!!! And surelly they would call her and tell the truth, otherwise - what??? She'll go to the voting station, brake the box to find and check their balots (HOW? And who let you to do so?) and told her boss (once again: who_tf is he, and why does he care?).
"I was told it was serious. It was like a warning," she went on.

You are a mature male. Do you seriously believe that kind of sh!tty fairytales? NOBODY can control a voter in a voting cabine. This unknown person says bullsh!t. I was trying to get into the same cabine with my wife (the other cabines have been busy), but was not allowed by policeman, because it's gainst the law.
So, the story of this unknown sh!tteller is nothing more than what is suppose to be - a sh!t tale that only a westerners can buy. You vote at the voting station where you live, after you show your passport and the clerk make a notice that you have voted, you recive a ballot, and nobody elese can recive another one using your name. The ballots are hologram protected (do you have a hologram protection on your ballots in USA? No? But surely it's a crap, comparing to absolutely free and democratic elections (according to your media) than for example elections in Iraq or Afghanistan, where people voted with their fingertips!).

Court case

Holy sh!t, Now I'm in real panic!

Earlier, outside a city court, we came across another disillusioned citizen of Krasnoyarsk.

Wow!
And who the f*ck this disillusioned citizen might be?

Vladislav Korolyov is local leader of the small liberal opposition party, the Union of Right Forces, which won seats in the regional parliament earlier this year.

Well, why I'm not surprised that the local leader of the small liberal opposition party, the Union of Right Forces is this disillusioned citizen?

We met him as he was about to enter court to hear the result of a case he had brought against police who confiscated almost two million election leaflets from his party earlier this month.

Don't break the law, don't use dirty tricks to get more voters by lying about your opponents, and you wont face the court. The rule is simple. If his leaflets contained lies about their opponents, no wonder they were confiscated.
He breaks the election law, gets punished, and now he is a disillusioned citizen.
What a surprise. Poor guy.

The police said the leaflets contained illegal advertising. The judge ruled in their favour.

Hell, who could have guessed that?

Mr Korolyov was not surprised by the court's decision, alleging it was part of a "nationwide police operation" against his party.

Oh, yeah! The black helicopters are after him!
"Nationwide police operation", my ass

"It includes following us around, bugging our phones and confiscating material," he said.

WOW! THEY ARE WATCHING AFTER HIM!!!

Black choppers, black choppers!!! Red alert! red alert!!!

Teh evil is bugging our phones in attempt to confiscate our sperm material!!!

"Why are they so afraid of our party if the opinion polls show we will only get 1% [of the vote]," he added.

Well, really, why they are so afraid of their party, if all possible opinion polls showed that it will get no more than 1% and wont be even a close competitor to them?

Probably that's because this fear exist only in mind of Mr. Korolyov and his bosses? Because he and his bosses made this lunatic idea a leitmotif of their dirty PR campaign? And because the West will easily by this lunatic crap, since it's suits its own anti-Russian crazy agenda just fine?

United Russia rally

Wow! That's serious!

From another building across town on a crisp Siberian winter's evening came the sound of Dixieland jazz.

Really? How those stupid Russian aborigines, who don't know a thing about democracy can play a Dixieland jazz? Sounds like another bullsh!t.

It was followed by traditional Russian singing, high-energy dance music, a low-energy boy-band...

.... and white bears with balalaykas.

Between the music came speeches and rapturous applause. It was a big campaign event for United Russia which - as in Moscow and elsewhere - was perfectly choreographed.

WOW!
So many words for a simple party meeting? We got that crap from you. You love to make such shows. But surelly you think we are not ready for such kind of sh!t, yet.
Or it's because it was a show of the wrong party?

In the midst of the audience sat the chief guest - the governor of Krasnoyarsk, Alexander Khloponin. He heads United Russia's candidate list in the region.

WOW!!!
It's such a crime!
How many governors in US who doesn't belong to any of your TWO parties?

Still in his early 40s, he is a popular man. As a former manager of a huge Siberian mining and metals conglomerate, he is respected as an efficient and energetic administrator.

And surelly, it's a shame that such popular, efficient, energetic and respected man belongs to the largest party of Russia.

"He's relatively liberal by the standards of Russian regional politics," says Prof Grigoriy Golosov of St Petersburg European University."And he's done a lot to promote the image of the region," he adds.

Once again - shame on him, that he belongs to and supports teh EVIL!!!

The governor was quick to dismiss the allegations that some members of his administration were trying to manipulate the election result in favour of the ruling party.

"Do you know anywhere where the opposition says anything else? It's the same everywhere," Mr Khloponin said.

And he is somehow wrong?

But he pledged to take action if any official was caught acting illegally.

What a bastard!

"If there is a real fact that someone has pressurised people, then that person will lose his job."

WOW! This governor is a real monster!!!

Mr Khloponin is said to be close to President Putin, but he denies being under any pressure from the Kremlin over the election.

"I feel no pressure," he said.

And surely this notorious person is lying!
Remember - anyone who supports Putin is teh EVIL, no matter how popular, efficient, energetic and respected among the local people he is.

"I am responsible before our party. If people vote for other parties that means I have not been very effective."

A looser's approach for a governor, no?

He left with another pledge - that the election in Krasnoyarsk would be interesting and competitive with the Communist Party doing well.

What an evil bastard! How dared he to promise an interesting and competitive election?

On Monday, the people of Krasnoyarsk will know how much of a contest there has been.

Now they know. But who the **** are you
guys to think for them?

Have a nice day

[Traianvs]

Serb, you've been... brainwashed or something. Seriously.
lol.

[Riesstiu IV]

He's our forum Nashi.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Traianvs
Serb, you've been... brainwashed or something. Seriously.
lol.

He makes some very good points imo.

That story about "On voting day, all of them have to call me by midday to say that they have voted for United Russia" for example. How is that supposed to affect what they actually did in the ballot box?

What's genuinely lollable is the way westerners are brainwashed into uncritically accepting some of the more unbelieveable propaganda.