Archive for R J

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State Corruption Damages Total 7.9B Rubles in 2012

A new report by the Russian Investigative Committee says that corruption within state agencies caused a staggering 7.9 billion rubles in damages in 2012.

Dec 9, 2012 | Continued
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A Good Judge

In a column for Yezhednevny Zhurnal, Anton Orekh discusses a rare case of a St. Petersburg judge who defied his country’s judicial status quo by brazenly throwing out charges against Madonna for spreading “homosexual propaganda.”

Nov 29, 2012 | Continued
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Fired Defense Official Fears Sharing Magnitsky’s Fate

One of the Russian Defense Ministry officials fired as part of a recent federal corruption probe fears that he may be in for the same fate as Sergei Magnitsky, after being placed in pre-trial detention and denied medical care for his heart condition.

Nov 27, 2012 | Continued
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‘Sassy’ St. Petersburg Judge Throws Out Madonna Case

A case in St. Petersburg against Madonna for spreading “homosexual propaganda” has been shot down in court, but not before defendants linked her performance to a future weakened national defence capacity and the “neutering” of gender among Western children.

Nov 23, 2012 | Continued
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Call for Solidarity to Free Russian Political Prisoners

Three prominent Russian leftist organizations have published an open letter calling for solidarity in the fight against Russian political prisoners, bringing much-needed attention to the plight of more than a dozen recently-arrested activists.

Nov 12, 2012 | Continued
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Razvozzhayev Torture Allegations Brought to UN

Russia human rights advocates have handed over information about the alleged physical and psychological torture of opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhayev to the United Nations Committee Against Torture.

Nov 11, 2012 | Continued
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Freed Pussy Riot Member Heads Back to Court to Defend Video

Yekaterina Samutsevich, the member of the jailed Pussy Riot trio who was released on parole last month, is asking a Moscow court to become involved in a case that might declare a video of the group’s performance to be “extremist.”

Nov 9, 2012 | Continued
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Surrounded by Mormons

In this column for Gazeta.ru, religious historian Boris Falikov talks about how this sudden burst of ire against Mormons in Russia has far more to do with the Russian Orthodox Church’s own political problems than any actual threat.

Nov 8, 2012 | Continued
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An Alternative Agenda: Part 3

Newly-elected Opposition Coordination Council members Gennady Gudkov and Boris Nemtsov discuss the goals and problems that the council is going to face.

Nov 1, 2012 | Continued
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An Alternative Agenda: Part 2

Solidarity activist Ilya Yashin gives his two cents on the new Coordination Council and the future of the united opposition.

Oct 28, 2012 | Continued