Kasparov, Others Preemptively Arrested Before EU-Russia Summit
Filed under: Russia
Der Spiegel, in an event horrifyingly reminiscent of Soviet times, reports that more than a dozen opposition politicians were preemptively arrested on Thursday and Friday so they could not participate in "Other Russia" protests in Samara during the EU-Russia summit:
Leading members of Other Russia were arrested at the Samara train station. Denis Bilunov, an advisor to Putin opponent Garry Kasparov, had only just arrived in the city when he was taken away, accused of carrying counterfeit money. He was only released again later on Thursday night. "They wanted to stop me from doing my work," he says. Bilunov was supposed to be preparing a meeting between Kasparov and Samara's mayor on Friday morning. Kasparov himself was detained on Friday morning at 8.30 a.m. as he was checking in for his flight. "The Moscow-Samara flight must have been have pretty empty this morning," says Julia Galamina, a spokesperson for the opposition group. In all the Moscow police prevented 13 people from traveling to Samara on Friday morning. Those arrested include Eduard Limonov, the head of the banned National Bolshevik Party. Another member of the same party was sentenced to six months in prison this week, for injuring his probation officer, according to the authorities. In 2004 he had taken part in the occupation of Russian government buildings and had been given a suspended sentence.
Not only did Putin order the arrests, but after they were made he had the gall to declare they were unnecessary, saying of the protesters: "They don't bother me in any way, there is no reason for us to be afraid of marginal groups, especially such small groups." If you're not afraid of them, Mr. Putin, why arrest them? This is classic, through-the-looking-glass, Soviet-era gibberish. As our comment in the Democracy News column aptly states: It looks like this jackass is going to have to learn the hard way.
At last, even the weak-kneed Europeans seem to be getting the message. In a second report, the German paper points out that Vladimir Putin's policies have so alienated Europe that it's time to talk about a divorce. German Chancellor Angel Merkel declared in Samara, right in front of Putin: "I'm saying very openly I wish that those who this afternoon want to protest and express their opinion will be able to do so. I'm somewhat concerned that people had difficulties getting here."
Meanwhile, NATO is intervening to protect tiny Estonia from escalating cyber attacks launched by Russia in retaliation for Estonia's daring to relocate a war memorial in their own country without Russian permission. Does Russia really think it can regain "great power" prestige with pathetic moves like these? Does it really think it can fight the whole world and win?
del.icio.us | 
digg | 
technorati | 
stumble upon | 
furl | 
reddit