Russians Protest Potential Putin Presidential Bid

[misskit]

The Russian opposition movement founded by exiled Kremlin critic and oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky protested President Vladimir Putin in 32 cities Saturday, despite the fact that authorities have banned the movement and declared it illegal, and police have raided its Moscow offices.

The main rally in Moscow had a few hundred protesters gathering in a park before moving to an administrative building nearby, where they submitted a letter urging Putin not to run for a fourth term in 2018.

In St. Petersburg, though, police arrested a few dozen protesters after about 200 of them gathered for an unsanctioned demonstration.

The demonstrations Saturday come on the heels of a large protest in March – the largest unauthorized rally in recent years – that saw more than 1,000 people arrested, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Russian authorities have not simply warned opposition group Open Russia not to conduct any activities, but have blacklisted the group.

The Russian prosecutor general’s office Wednesday declared Open Russia and two other groups founded by Khodorkovsky to be “undesirable” organizations. The three organizations are the U.K.-registered Open Russia, the U.S.-based Institute of Modern Russia, and a social movement that also uses the Open Russia name.

The "undesirable" designation bans them from operating inside Russia, with any violation punishable by fines and jail time.

Police raided the group’s offices in Moscow Friday, prior to Saturday’s protest.

Maria Galitskaya, a spokeswoman for Open Russia told VOA she thinks the raid was politically motivated.

“One [of the police officers] started breaking open the doors of the rooms and desk drawers, though there was nothing illegitimate in the office,” she said. “It is difficult to talk about the real reasons of the search but we connect that with tomorrow's action and think that this is an effort at intimidation.”

Russians Protest Potential Putin Presidential Bid

[harrybarracuda]

Of course any opposition to the murderous, thieving scumbag is "undesirable" in his mind.

[sabang]

And of course any democratic election, he will win.

[HermantheGerman]

And of course any democratic election, he will win.

And of course any *council election, he will win.

*Council: russian pronunciation soviet (сове́т)


Somethings never change

[harrybarracuda]

And of course any democratic election, he will win.

I wonder if he ever plans on having one?

[Albert Shagnasty2017]

32 cities and 200 at the "main one" in Moscow.

How many in the other cities?

10,20, 50?

Vlad must be quaking in his boots.

[Dragonfly]

thank god the Russians have him,

he is great,

[harrybarracuda]

32 cities and 200 at the "main one" in Moscow.

How many in the other cities?

10,20, 50?

Vlad must be quaking in his boots.

It shows that arresting, torturing and killing people who disagree with you actually works eh?

[Klondyke]

And of course any democratic election, he will win.

I wonder if he ever plans on having one?

Why he should? He has the means to elect anybody in the world (as the CIA knows for sure).

Let the Trumps, Hillarys, Macrons, etc, spend their money, he will do it his way, won't he?

[Klondyke]

32 cities and 200 at the "main one" in Moscow.

How many in the other cities?

10,20, 50?

Vlad must be quaking in his boots.

It shows that arresting, torturing and killing people who disagree with you actually works eh?

So, it has to be a number of millions who are "arrested, tortured, killed"?
All in Gulags?

[harrybarracuda]

32 cities and 200 at the "main one" in Moscow.

How many in the other cities?

10,20, 50?

Vlad must be quaking in his boots.

It shows that arresting, torturing and killing people who disagree with you actually works eh?

So, it has to be a number of millions who are "arrested, tortured, killed"?
All in Gulags?

Don't be stupid.

It's a deterrent.

You don't think he has to arrest them all do you?

Just a few and the ones he lets go will do the rest.

[HermantheGerman]

thank god the Russians have him,

he is great,

Of course he's GREAT !
He keeps his country backward !
Imagine they would be thriving like China.
That would be "Bad for Germany really bad".
Ever seen a label "Made in Russia"....something unheard of

[Klondyke]

thank god the Russians have him,

he is great,

Of course he's GREAT !
He keeps his country backward !
Imagine they would be thriving like China.
That would be "Bad for Germany really bad".
Ever seen a label "Made in Russia"....something unheard of

How comfortable to live in a country where some 80% products are with label "Made in China".
(At the remaining 20% the label "Made in China" can be found under the label "Made in USA)" (Made in Germany, etc, )...

BTW, what we read on the label :Made in ???" of the gas in Germany?

[HermantheGerman]

Can that be labeled "Made in" ?