Freedom Under Assault in Putin’s Russia

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Testimony of Frank S. Jannuzi Deputy Executive Director, Amnesty International, USA

In recent months, Russian authorities have intensified their assault on basic freedoms and undermined rule of law. The assault takes many forms. New bills - passed just this week by the country's lower house of Parliament and expected to be approved in the near future by the upper house of Parliament and signed into law by President Vladimir Putin restrict the activities of non-governmental organizations, criminalize public actions "committed to insult the religious feelings of believers" and outlaw activism by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals and their supporters. I would note that the new law criminalizing "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations," passed 436-0 by the rubber stamp Duma this week, comes as much of the world marks Pride month.

New controls over the media are being used to smear government critics and bolster the government's policy line. Authorities use secret detention facilities and torture, especially in the North Caucuses region, to silence critics and deny them access to counsel. These measures are widespread and systematic. They are being imposed on domestic and international civil society groups alike.

This crackdown, coming as Russia prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, should be a matter of grave concern to the U.S. government. Moscow's lack of respect for human rights speaks volumes about its reliability as a potential partner to the United States and Europe in addressing pressing international security concerns, from the conflict in Syria to the danger of nuclear proliferation. Moreover, it marks an ominous turn in a country that had been making progress towards developing more open, transparent, and accountable governance.

Many of you may be aware that Amnesty International has itself been subjected to various forms of harassment. For some NGOs, the significance of this particular brand of harassment is that it can result in self-censorship, restriction of activities, or flight. John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia Director, has expressed our concern that Russia's new NGO law will be used to target prominent civil society organizations. Already 43 Russian non-governmental organizations in 16 regions are undergoing inspections and investigations, with devastating effect. Many prominent organizations, such as Golos (Voice) Association which monitors elections, the LevadaCenter for sociological research, the Moscow School for Political Research, and the Human Rights Center Memorial, have been labelled by prosecutors as "Foreign Agents." Our biggest concern is that this is just "round one," and that forced closures are likely to follow.

Indeed, the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute arms of the National Endowment for Democracy funded by Congress have already suspended operations in Russia given the threat that their employees might be charged with treason or espionage. This is because the NGO law passed late last year provides for sentences of up to 20 years for individuals "providing consultative assistance to a foreign organization" if that group was involved in "activities aimed against Russias security," a catch-all phrase that could be used to criminalize almost any activity the government deems hostile.

Prisoners of Conscience

Amnesty International coined the term "Prisoner of Conscience" to describe individuals who have been imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their beliefs or identity. These individual cases are often emblematic of systemic problems; so let me briefly highlight some cases to underscore two key points:

Russia's most famous Prisoners of Conscience are the members of the band Pussy Riot. Pussy Riot's one minute long performance in Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, and the band members' subsequent arrest and sentencing, sparked a global outcry and brought Russias mounting repression to an international audience. The YouTube video of their punk performance, in which they criticized President Putin, generated over 3,000,000 YouTube views.

Amnesty International championed the case of Pussy Riot, not because we have an opinion on their musicality I am more of a Sondheim fan myself but because we recognize that artists are often at the cutting edge of political commentary. When artists are arrested for exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression whether in China with painter and sculptor Ai Wei Wei, in Egypt with TV Bassem Youssef, or in Burma with comic Zarganar broader restrictions on the general public are likely to follow.

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Freedom Under Assault in Putin's Russia

Freedom? Not if kid is at risk

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SOLOMON LEACH, Daily News Staff Writer leachs@phillynews.com, 215-854-5903 Posted: Thursday, June 13, 2013, 3:01 AM

ALTHOUGH RELIGIOUS freedom is protected under the First Amendment, prosecutors say the law can get involved if there is reason to believe a child is in danger due to lack of medical care.

"If the police come or if somebody calls the police and they see something, just like child abuse, anything like that would be investigated or looked at or somebody could intercede," said Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore, who is prosecuting Herbert and Catherine Schaible for a second time.

Such cases can often be tough to prove, Pescatore said.

"I'm doing it through their own words," she said of the Schaibles. "I don't know how else you would prove it unless you had an eyewitness."

In 1998, Daniel and Anne Marie Foster, members of Faith Tabernacle in North Philadelphia - from which the Schaibles' First Century church split nearly nearly 90 years ago - were found guilty for not seeking treatment for their 2-year-old son's stomach tumor after an anonymous caller alerted the city Department of Human Services.

Outside Pennsylvania, there have several similar cases. In 2011, for instance, an Oregon faith-healing couple was found guilty of not getting treatment for a birthmark over the daughter's eye that developed into a condition known as hemangioma.

Dr. Paul Offit, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, has argued that Pennsylvania's laws are too lax on the issue.

"In the state of Pennsylvania, there are religious exemptions to child abuse and neglect laws; we are backward in that sense," he told NBC10. "I think we need to eliminate those exemptions."

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Freedom? Not if kid is at risk

Practice freedom of speech within Msian norms – Najib

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Freedom of speech must be suited and match Malaysian norms which are synonymous with good manners and noble values, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

He said this way, the freedom to express differences in opinions could be done wisely without inviting suspicions or prejudice.

"For democracy to truly function as it should, the people and media practitioners must uphold noble values so there are none among us who deviate (from these norms) or resort to abuse of power," he said in addressing the Malaysian Journalists Night 2013 here today.

He said demands for freedom of speech in the country not only arose due to globalisation but gained impetus because of access to the Internet, the people's higher socio-economic standing as well as education level.

He stressed that Malaysians wanted and could capitalise on freedom of speech by disseminating information that is accurate and did not lead to confusion.

"Freedom of speech must be suited and match Malaysian norms which are synonymous with good manners and noble values. Only then can we discuss important issues by way of dialogue when there is a difference in opinion among different groups," he said.

Najib said the landscape of the media and media organisations in the country had undergone rapid changes with the introduction of online media to complement the existing print and electronic media.

He added that anonymous writers in the social media had taken the opportunity to spread lies that could cause disunity and threaten the peace and harmony enjoyed by the people, compared with the mainstream media that continued to adhere to the ethics of journalism.

Najib therefore urged those using the social media as a tool to spread information, to remain steadfast to principles, responsibility and ethics.

"On this, I want to urge the people to propose the best form of monitoring and control to ensure what is written in the social media do not breach the laws.

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Practice freedom of speech within Msian norms - Najib

Poll Finds Ukrainians Believe They Have Freedom of Speech

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KYIV, Ukraine, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

An independently-conducted poll has found most Ukrainians believe freedom of speech is alive and well in their country, a finding in line with the Government's efforts to alter perceptions that it has failed to move away from its Soviet past.

The study conducted by the Democratic Initiatives Fund and the Razumkov Center found that just seven percent of respondents believe Ukraine has no freedom of speech while 65 percent believe the nation does have freedom of speech. A tenth of those questioned gave their country the maximum score.

The results are a big improvement on a similar poll in 2011 in which 33 percent said Ukraine has freedom of speech.

Half of those questioned believe the media in Ukraine presents varying viewpoints and they trust Ukrainian media (58 percent) more than they do Russian information sources (33percent).

The survey results will doubtless be welcomed by those close to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who has in the past bemoaned the "mistaken stereotype regarding the lack of freedom of speech."

He has frequently pointed out that his government has left behind its Soviet past and enacted freedom of information laws.

"These latest survey results don't surprise us. You only have to look at our vibrant digital media and blogosphere in Ukraine to see the broad range of opinions in our society," a Ukrainian government spokesman said. The survey found a third of Ukrainians get their news online.

"But unfortunately there are still those who chose not to see the changes that have taken place in our nation," he added.

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Poll Finds Ukrainians Believe They Have Freedom of Speech

Racism

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Racism Eugenics Used Against Maori? Joe Trinder 7June2013
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Racism

Bondie’s Best Class of the Week – PDW Cyborg Class Setup (Black Ops 2 Tips and Tricks) – Video

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Bondie #39;s Best Class of the Week - PDW Cyborg Class Setup (Black Ops 2 Tips and Tricks)
Can we aim for over 100 Likes again? 😀 Follow me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/bondieeeexbl Previous Video: http://youtu.be/fTl2aTLjG44 Enjoyed what you...

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Bondie's Best Class of the Week - PDW Cyborg Class Setup (Black Ops 2 Tips and Tricks) - Video