Posts Tagged ‘european voice’
The time is right to challenge the regime in Russia
Protesters are back on the streets of Moscow, but the rest of the world does not seem to care.
Twenty years ago, the new democratic leaders of Russia were left to be dragged down by the ruined economy they inherited, while the West worried only about who would repay Soviet debts. In retrospect, that was a blunder. But the lesson has not been learned. Smouldering discontent with authoritarian crony capitalism is sending fiery sparks into the streets of Moscow and some other cities. But for all the help the outside world is giving, it might as well be a row about football.
The next three months are crucial not just for Russia, but also for its neighbours. Will Vladimir Putin and his ex-KGB pals allow a free election, or even a fair one? What happens if he fails to win in the first round? The president-select may resort to dirty tricks – perhaps the creation of bogus threats from enemies at home and abroad.
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Time to get tough on the Kremlin crooks and bullies
The jailing of Boris Nemtsov is a dark departure from Russia’s already bleak status quo.
When you next meet Boris Nemtsov, will you be able to look him in the eye and say that you did everything you could while he was in jail? Did you urge your ambassadors to visit him in prison? Did your local Russian ambassador find himself bombarded with public and private protests? Did your politicians write letters to the newspapers, give speeches or go to demonstrations? Did your legislators hold hearings about freedom of assembly in Russia? Did you raise Russia’s continued membership of the Council of Europe?
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Russia needs rule of law
The EU’s partnership with Russia must rest on those areas where values are shared and applied.
On 2 December, European Voice published an opinion piece on EU-Russia relations that ended with the statement that “law is Russia’s bridge to Europe” (“A simpler era in EU-Russia relations?”, 2-8 December). We could not agree more. EU-Russia relations are at a critical stage and we welcome the prospect of closer co-operation on an equal footing. But the lack of rule of law in Russia, or “legal nihilism” as President Dmitry Medvedev has called it, still poses an obstacle to meaningful and long-term economic and political co-operation.
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