Russian police raid offices of Putin critic Khodorkovsky

AFP ^ | 16 Apr 15 | Uknown

[elhombrelibre]

Moscow (AFP) - Armed police on Thursday raided the office of a Russian rights group led by exiled Vladimir Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, during the president's marathon annual phone-in session.

A group of police and special forces searched the Moscow office of Open Russia, a rights network led by Khodorkovsky, for protest flyers, Khodorkovsky's spokeswoman Kulle Pispanen wrote on her Facebook page.

"As we're preparing for the phone-in, masked men came to the office," Pispanen wrote. "They are looking for posters and flyers for a protest on April 19 that we were not planning to participate in and which has been cancelled."

[elhombrelibre]

I know some Putinista will be along any moment to say that this is no different than in the USA, and that Russias critical of Putin must be NAZIS or homosexuals. That's the level of critical thinking exhibited by the Putinista posters.

[RginTN]

obama is taking notes. he likes how putin jails his critics.

[FredZarguna]

Russians critical of Putin must be NAZIS or AND homosexuals.

And also EU and US agents. So they're like, four things at once, not just either-or.

[lormand]

What is the deal with this forum allowing the messengers of Putin to post Russian propaganda here?

[elhombrelibre]

I don't get that either. Would they allow pro-Iranian mullah posters? I don't think so. Yet Putin is in bed with mad mullahs that run that country. Would they allow pro-North Korean posters? I don't think so. Yet Putin is in bed with that country, too. For some reason, there is a type of conservative that doesn't see Putin for the type of man he really is (a KGB thug who took over an emerging democratic country), the type of threat to USA that he is (he's worked to thwart US policies throughout the world in the last 8 years), and the threat that he is to our nation by either arming our enemies or by direct threats to our allies.

Strangely, Putin represents for shallow conservatives an exemplary leader with manly and virile appeal. For them, he is a Christian paladin, and pleasant, cunning contrast with the foolish Obama. These dilettante conservatives (or they're indifferent to it) like to see America harmed by Putin too, while still claiming Putin's harmless. To prove a point that Obama is foolish and weak, a point that was self-evident even before Putin came along, these Putinista delight in Putin's Russian chauvinism and his successes.

[lormand]

I could not have said it better.