Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2014 21:41:29 GMT
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, the two most famous members of Russian punk collective Pussy Riot, called on the EU to go for bolder sanctions against Putin’s entourage, demanding tighter control of European funds allocated to Russia.
“The Crimean adventure was aimed for internal consumption, not external expansion," human rights activist and Sakharov Prize laureate Oleg Orlov said, trying to summarise for the audience Putin’s 14-year old long authoritarian grip over the Russian Federation. Speaking at a press conference in the European Parliament, hosted by Greens and the European Free Alliance group, Orlov was joined by the best-known members of band, Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina, to explain why a tougher stance on sanctions is necessary in the wake of Moscow's annexation of Crimea.
Accompanied by an ever more brutal stifling of all critical media in the country, the rule of Putin seems to be assured at least until 2024, the Pussy Riot members said. “There is no more freedom of expression in Russian media,” Alyokhina insisted, calling to “break the vacuum” by setting up alternative information resources on the Internet. But the human rights advocates said the situation was so bad, it might be “time to start disseminating clandestine print materials, like in the 19th century.”
The Russian “law on foreign agents” – a Cold War-style law passed in 2012, aimed at suffocating non-governmental organisations, especially those active on human rights issues – was stressed by the speakers as another serious violation of fundamental rights and democratic standards. Oleg Orlov reminded the audience that under that law, he could be considered a traitor by the government because he consults with international organisations.
The upcoming elections, they said, need to be “watched closely” by international observers, since the poll “will be Putin’s focus”, as he will try to “undermine” them. “The elections have to be secure and we need legitimate results. Putin cannot afford fair elections in Russia, nor in Ukraine,” said Alyokhina, warning of attempts to destabilise Kyiv through Russian propaganda. The Pussy Riot members said they recently visited Ukraine, where they found “order is respected” and that is is “clear and clean, and the population is friendly”, a testimony at the opposite of what Russian media depict as a “dangerous place” for ethnic Russians.
“The Crimean adventure was aimed for internal consumption, not external expansion," human rights activist and Sakharov Prize laureate Oleg Orlov said, trying to summarise for the audience Putin’s 14-year old long authoritarian grip over the Russian Federation. Speaking at a press conference in the European Parliament, hosted by Greens and the European Free Alliance group, Orlov was joined by the best-known members of band, Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina, to explain why a tougher stance on sanctions is necessary in the wake of Moscow's annexation of Crimea.
Accompanied by an ever more brutal stifling of all critical media in the country, the rule of Putin seems to be assured at least until 2024, the Pussy Riot members said. “There is no more freedom of expression in Russian media,” Alyokhina insisted, calling to “break the vacuum” by setting up alternative information resources on the Internet. But the human rights advocates said the situation was so bad, it might be “time to start disseminating clandestine print materials, like in the 19th century.”
The Russian “law on foreign agents” – a Cold War-style law passed in 2012, aimed at suffocating non-governmental organisations, especially those active on human rights issues – was stressed by the speakers as another serious violation of fundamental rights and democratic standards. Oleg Orlov reminded the audience that under that law, he could be considered a traitor by the government because he consults with international organisations.
The upcoming elections, they said, need to be “watched closely” by international observers, since the poll “will be Putin’s focus”, as he will try to “undermine” them. “The elections have to be secure and we need legitimate results. Putin cannot afford fair elections in Russia, nor in Ukraine,” said Alyokhina, warning of attempts to destabilise Kyiv through Russian propaganda. The Pussy Riot members said they recently visited Ukraine, where they found “order is respected” and that is is “clear and clean, and the population is friendly”, a testimony at the opposite of what Russian media depict as a “dangerous place” for ethnic Russians.