Vaclav Havel Warns about Russia’s Democratic Façade

We could’ve guessed from the letter he signed earlier this year that the Czech luminary/dissident Vaclav Havel was not done talking about the authoritarian drift in Russia.  The Telegraph reports on his speech before a rally commemorating the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution:

The 73-year-old who played a pivotal role in freeing his country from communist rule in 1989, said that the Russian government had mastered the art of manipulating its population while maintaining democratic façade.

“The era of dictatorships and totalitarian systems has not ended at all,” he said.

“It may have ended in a traditional form as we know it from the 20th century, but new, far more sophisticated ways of controlling society are being born.

“It requires alertness, carefulness, caution, study and a detached view.”