RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – June 21, 2010
TODAY: Medevedev calls for modernization, but will political reform accompany it? Nemtsov distributes anti-Putin publication in streets; revealing Sechin interview; no pride for St Pete; Luzkov cases go to Strasbourg. Kyrgyzstan situation remains difficult; US and Russia look to referendum for stability; issue of responsibility remains debated; Poland election; skiing in conflict hot spot; tiger disease?
Russia needs to become a ‘country of dreams’, President Medvedev has told guests at the St Petersburg Economic Forum, and stated that the goals of modernization ‘are realistic and achievable’. The Washington Post wonders whether the dream will extend to human rights: ‘Mr. Medvedev’s plans don’t appear to include any domestic political liberalization’. Today a Richard Lourie op-ed in the Moscow Times concurs with this witty rejoinder: ‘Producing a high-tech economy is not enough. Otherwise, the result may be no more than a modernized Russia where you can pay bribes with your cell phone’. The Other Russia has a video report on Boris Nemtsov’s handing out of copies of ‘Putin. Results. 10 Years’ booklet to passers-by, after 200,000 copies were impounded by authorities. The Solidarity leader has vowed to distribute them ‘regardless of the difficulties’. A Reuters interview with Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin has seen the fearsome siloviki clan chief describe a normal citizen as ‘a patriot of his country […] A decent person, professional if you work in the government, and effective. That’s all’. Sechin rebuffed the idea that he could be a third candidate at the 2012 presidential election, suggesting it belonged to ‘the realms of fairy tales and fantasy’. A provocative article from RFE/RL sees Mikhail Shevelev accuse Strategy 31 protesters of being incoherent and unrealistic. St. Petersburg City Hall has banned a gay pride parade. The European Court of Human Rights has asked to be given information on all defamation lawsuits won by Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov (that’s more than 50 in total).
Russia needs to become a ‘country of dreams’, President Medvedev has told guests at the St Petersburg Economic Forum, and stated that the goals of modernization ‘are realistic and achievable’. The Washington Post wonders whether the dream will extend to human rights: ‘Mr. Medvedev’s plans don’t appear to include any domestic political liberalization’. Today a Richard Lourie op-ed in the Moscow Times concurs with this witty rejoinder: ‘Producing a high-tech economy is not enough. Otherwise, the result may be no more than a modernized Russia where you can pay bribes with your cell phone’. The Other Russia has a video report on Boris Nemtsov’s handing out of copies of ‘Putin. Results. 10 Years’ booklet to passers-by, after 200,000 copies were impounded by authorities. The Solidarity leader has vowed to distribute them ‘regardless of the difficulties’. A Reuters interview with Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin has seen the fearsome siloviki clan chief describe a normal citizen as ‘a patriot of his country […] A decent person, professional if you work in the government, and effective. That’s all’. Sechin rebuffed the idea that he could be a third candidate at the 2012 presidential election, suggesting it belonged to ‘the realms of fairy tales and fantasy’. A provocative article from RFE/RL sees Mikhail Shevelev accuse Strategy 31 protesters of being incoherent and unrealistic. St. Petersburg City Hall has banned a gay pride parade. The European Court of Human Rights has asked to be given information on all defamation lawsuits won by Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov (that’s more than 50 in total).