Posted on 02/07/2007 8:25:38 AM PST by kiriath_jearim
Russian authorities were accused of turning the clock back to Stalinist times yesterday after a group of human rights activists was found guilty of having an "unsanctioned" afternoon tea party with two Westerners.
Pro-democracy groups immediately condemned the ruling — the first made under internationally criticised legislation passed last year to restrict the freedoms of civil society — as an attempt by the Kremlin to stifle free speech in Russia.
Nine members of Froda, a group that campaigns for ethnic minority rights, were found guilty of holding an illegal meeting and fined after they had tea with two German students visiting a friend in the southern city of Novorossiysk.
The students, involved in similar campaign work in Germany, had requested a meeting to find out more about a Froda project encouraging children of different racial backgrounds to play football together.
But as the meeting began, armed officers from the Federal Security Service, the intelligence agency that succeeded the KGB, burst into the headmaster's study and detained the group.
"We were told that citizens were forbidden to gather and ordered to make a written explanation," said Tamara Karastelyova, Froda's director.
"We were told that, under the new law, any meeting of two or more people with the purpose of discussing publicly important issues had to be sanctioned by the local administration three days in advance," Mrs Karastelyova said.
The verdict, with its echoes of the Stalinist era when Russians were forbidden from meeting foreigners, has provoked outrage among non-governmental organisations.
Under two bills imposing new regulations on NGOs and the right to rally in public, rights groups are subject to draconian regulations that include having to submit details of planned conferences to authorities several months in advance.
While the ruling against Froda could be an example of local courts interpreting the new legislation too strictly, activists say that it proves how easily authorities could clamp down on their activities.
Czar putin.
Gee, Vlad the old KGB apparatchik is channeling Beria and having his storm troopers arresting people for tea parties.
Who'd have thought it? After all, I looked into his eyes...
Storm troopers arresting people for tea party? :))))
Accually it was the organisation of just one ethnicity Muslim Meskhetian Turks which was expelled by thier faith brothers from central Asia but they should go to Georgia which expleed them after WW2 for thier support of nazies. And Georgia refused to accept them today. So they stuck in Russia. No ways no citizens of her just the band of foreignners got stuck there. Bytheway they are violent as chechens but latter at least the citizens. So Russia has absolutely no rationales to keep them. Do you know where they head up now? Right into ole USA Pencilvania.
Thank you for the clarification -
Best egards,
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.