Perestroika must be complete.
Posted on 10/20/2006 3:36:45 AM PDT by Flavius
MOSCOW, Oct. 19 -- Russia on Thursday suspended the activities of Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International Republican Institute and more than 90 other foreign nongovernmental organizations, saying they failed to meet the registration requirements of a controversial new law designed to bring activists here under much closer government scrutiny.
Across the country, foreign grass-roots organizations that investigate human rights abuses, promote democracy and work with refugees folded their tents until further notice, informing staff that all operations must cease immediately. The only work officially authorized was the paying of staff and bills.
The law, signed by President Vladimir Putin at the start of the year, drew broad criticism as part of a general rollback of democratic freedoms in Russia. Activists said it was intended to rein in one of the last areas of independent civic life here; Putin called it necessary to prevent foreigners from interfering in the country's political process.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Well, I never trusted the KGB Putin. I wonder what the President feels in his heart about him now?
Gorby's been running his mouth lately. He has all kinds of opinions about political tensions and border fences. Where is his opposition to the death of glasnost? I have a feeling he'll stay quiet about such events in his country.
Now I will wait for the condemnations from these organisations. I doubt we will hear them, but I will wait.
Across the country, foreign grass-roots organizations that investigate human rights abuses, promote democracy and work with refugees folded their tents until further notice, informing staff that all operations must cease immediately. The only work officially authorized was the paying of staff and bills. ==
NGOs were used to promote the "color revolutions". They are financed by the foreign money. So they are the foreign agents. Which country will allow the foreign agents go free on thier soil?
The "outrage" that I started to feel when I saw the headline was quickly dissipated when I read the list of "NGO's" that Russia is cracking down on.
Really mixed feelings, now --
"The enemy of my enemy", ya know......
no i know , was thinking the same thing
It appears that Putin is not going to let Russia go the way of the US. Looks like he's protecting the sovereignty of Russia.
"Other suspended groups include two branches of Doctors Without Borders, the Danish Refugee Council and the Netherlands-based Russian Justice Initiative,"
Doctors Without Borders are the ones who expelled Greek doctors for helping Serbian victims of the war. So it is safe to assume that they are against helping ethnic Russians or Muslims who do not sympathize with radical Islamists. ( "there is no longer a Greek branch" ).
Here is the info on Danish Refugee Council And on Russian Justice Initiative
It is more than that, some of these groups were helping radical Islamists and as a consequence working against US interests too.
Where can I view a list of the banned orgs?
Shamelessly, they call themselves non-governmental organizations (NGOs) while taking money from the government.
In Britain, such organizations are pejoratively called QUANGOs. As Wikipedia says, "The term originated as a humorous shortening of Quasi-NGO, that is, an ostensibly non-governmental organisation which performs governmental functions, often with government funding or other support."
The term QUANGO should be made more popular in the United States.
The President would be wise to do likewise.
Very astute! Why it did not occur to me? :(
FYI
United states has Foreign Agent Registration Act. It was used in the past to obstruct Nazi and Soviet attempts to influence US Politics. Too bad Soros got himself a US citizenship, we can't use it against him.
Russian restricitions are similar to those of the Foreign Agent Registration act, complaining about them reeks of hypocrisy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.