Russia Cracksdown on Anti-Putin Opposition

HT: USA Today

As the Russian government openly aids the hostile Assad regime that has killed over 10,000 of his own people since protests began last spring, it's slowly restricting the rights, and freedoms of its dissidents in Moscow, St. Petersburg and across Russia.

This was brought to bare yesterday as somewhere between 20,000 and 120,000 anti-Putin protesters peacefully voiced their opposition to Vladimir Putin's third term in office, which they believe is due to widespread fraud in Russia's presidential election earlier this year and growing oppression their leaders experience on a daily basis.

Such as what occurred on Monday, coincidentally right before the protests, when the homes of several prominent opposition leaders were searched by masked police officers who seized personal computers, cellphones and other items. While opposition leaders (possibly the same) were ordered to appear for questioning an hour before the protests started.

Parliament, which is controlled by the pro-Putin and ill-named "United Russia Party", passed a bill that increases fines 150% for unregistered demonstrators just last week, could mark the beginning of more draconian measures of dealing with the opposition then has been customary thus far, such as restricting freedom to protest entirely.

The news these days is quite depressing in regards to Russia, especially when you see Stalinist trends reemerge in what should be a freer, more westernized 21st century Russia that is sadly just another reinvention of their bloody five hundred year past of government totalitarianism and citizen oppression.

What say you?