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| The Guardian, May 12, 2015. Russian Opposition Critics or Traitors Al Jazeera, Mar. 2, 2015. Ivan Nechepurenko, ‘‘5 Who Killed Boris Nemtsov, Putin Foe, Sentenced in Russia The New York Times, July 13, 2017; ‘‘Nemtsov’s Daughter Requests Questioning Of Kadyrov,’’ Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Apr. 28, 2016. as an effort to forge national cohesion in the wake of the terrorist attack at a school in Beslan in North Ossetia. 91 The erosion of democratic processes in Russia’s elections has directly corresponded to Putin’s efforts to secure a mandate and tighten his grip on power (see Appendix F fora summary of flawed elections in Russia since 1999). Around the most recent presidential election in 2012, in which Putin returned to power amidst credible allegations of fraud, tens of thousands of Russian citizens joined large-scale demonstrations in Moscow in late 2011 and early 2012, chanting Russia without Putin!’’ 92 The Kremlin’s response ranged from coalescing support to cracking down on criticism. Throngs of pro-government supporters were bussed into participate in campaign rallies expressing support for Putin in a battle for Russia that painted any opposition as traitorous. 93 Following the protests that tarnished Putin’s inauguration, the government fast-tracked passage of a law that increased administrative penalties by a factor of one hundred for unsanctioned protests and other violations of the law on public assembly. 94 Working through the Investigative Committee, a beefed-up internal security service that then-President Dmitry Medvedev established in 2011 and which reports directly to the president, the Kremlin carried out smear campaigns and discredited opposition figures through dubious charges and flawed legal proceedings. 95 The backlash against political competition reached alarming levels in February 2015, when opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was murdered just steps from the Kremlin. 96 Nemtsov was to participate two days later in a protest he organized against the Kremlin’s economic mismanagement and interference in Ukraine. He was also planning to release a report on Russia’s role in Ukraine. 97 Observers alleged that the demonization in pro-government media of opposition figures as traitors had contributed to his death. 98 In June 2017, a Russian court convicted five Chechen men of Nemtsov’s killing. While the verdict was welcomed by the United States and other governments, Nemtsov’s supporters charged that the masterminds behind the killing remained at large, and Nemtsov’s family has called for Ramzan Kadyrov to be interrogated in the case. 99 Notably, despite this hostile climate, large-scale opposition protests have continued each year on the anniversary of Nemtsov’s death. In addition, presidential hopeful Alexey Navalny spearheaded several anti-corruption protests in cities across Russia in 2017. Using social media, Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Fund has broadly circulated the results of its investigative work into alleged VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:06 Jan 09, 2018 Jkt PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 S:\FULL COMMITTEE\HEARING FILES\COMMITTEE PRINT 2018\HENRY\JAN. 9 REPORT FOREI-42327 with DISTILLER 23 Marc Bennetts, There Are Better Things Than Turnips Navalny Plans Putin Birthday Protests The Guardian, Oct. 5, 2017. See Chapter 4 for more information on the Russian Orthodox Church’s role in promoting Kremlin objectives abroad. US. Department of State, International Religious Freedom Report for 2006, Russia U.S. Department of State, International Religious Freedom Report for 2016: Russia, at 1. US. Department of State, International Religious Freedom Report for 2016: Russia, at 23- 24; US. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016: Russia, at 53 (citing report published in the Moscow Times. Andrew Higgins, In Expanding Russian Influence, Faith Combines With Firepower The Download 0.63 Mb. Share with your friends:
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