Displaying items by tag: Navalny

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s political network is disbanded ahead of court rulings declaring it an ‘extremist’ organisation. A Moscow court is expected to ban the network’s crowdfunded work, which would put members and supporters at risk of six years in prison. Leonid Volkov, the network’s former coordinator, said that keeping the work of Navalny’s network in its current form would lead immediately to extremism charges and criminal sentences for those helping or cooperating with it. He said the breakup was a ‘punch in the gut’ after four years of hard work in very difficult circumstances: ‘The networks had victories. We cancelled corrupt public procurement orders, secured the resignation of thieves and crooks, won elections, protected parks from development projects, and helped local activists. Now there are direct orders from the Kremlin to destroy the network of offices.’ The network’s website shtab.navalny.com was still accessible on 29 April, showing dozens of locations spanning eleven time zones.

On 8 March celebrations began for the centenary of the Russian revolution; they will continue for one year. Revolution brought education to those at the bottom of the social pile, while destroying the middle class. Conflicting rich v poor views continue today. Last Sunday Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption and opposition activist, called on his supporters to protest, and accused prime minister Dmitry Medvedev of personal enrichment through embezzlement. The biggest rally of 8,000 people in Moscow was unsanctioned, and 600 were detained. 3,000 demonstrated in St Petersburg (131 detained), 500 in Vladivostok (25 detained), 1,500 in Novosibirsk, and others elsewhere. Many believe that Russia and democracy are incompatible, and that 2017 will reunite Russians to a legacy of revolutions that continues to divide. See http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russian-revolutions-1917-centenary-celebrations-2017-vladimir-putin-bolsheviks-lenin-stalin-trotsky-a7605791.html