Members of a Hasidic Jewish movement may sue the Russian government in an effort to recover 18th-century religious writings and prayers seized by the Nazi and Soviet armies, the Associated Press reports.
Popularity: 17% [?]
December 6, 2006Anatoly Chubais, head of Russian power monopoly Unified Energy Systems of Russia doubts that the ailment affecting Russian economist and politician Yegor Gaidar was caused by natural factors, the Interfax news agency reports.
Popularity: 6% [?]
November 29, 2006
Professor Mario Scaramella, 38, who describes himself as a defence consultant, was surrounded by four bodyguards as he arrived for the Rome conference, SkyNews reports. Journalists had been summoned by SMS texts.
Popularity: 7% [?]
November 22, 2006
Xenophobia could destroy Russia unless it is countered by law enforcement and education, a senior Kremlin official told an analytical weekly Monday.
Popularity: 21% [?]
November 21, 2006The Interior Ministry is currently monitoring 150 extremist groups in Russia, in particular race-hate groups, which have total membership of around 10,000, the minister said Wednesday.
Popularity: 9% [?]
November 15, 2006A Ukrainian lawmaker has urged Kiev to deny entry to U.S. “white supremacist†and founder of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke from entering the country.Duke visited Kiev earlier this month to attend a conference on the history of Anti-Semitism. He also signed copies of the Russian edition of his book “The Jewish Question Through the Eyes of an Americanâ€.
Deputy of the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, Alexander Feldman on Tuesday criticized the government for letting such people as David Duke enter the country, whereas, for example, a Russian political analyst Gleb Pavlovsky was recently declared a “persona non grataâ€.
Popularity: 7% [?]
October 31, 2006Government authorities will ban Azerbaijan broadcasters from airing programs of the Voice of America, the BBC and Radio Liberty starting next year, the Associated Press news agency reported quoting a statement by Aziri broadcasting chief Nushirrin Maharramov.
The local broadcasters lack licenses allowing them to air programs of the foreign radio stations, said Nushirrin Maharramov, the head of National Broadcasting Council.
But opposition media denounced the move as part of a government campaign against the freedom of speech.
Pressure on independent media and attacks on opposition journalists are frequent in this oil-rich Caspian Sea state, which has been ruled with a tight grip by President Ilham Aliev since 2003, when he succeeded his long-ruling father in flawed elections.
Maharramov said that the ban would take effect Jan. 1. However, he said the British Broadcasting Corp. and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, based in Prague, Czech Republic, would be able to continue using frequencies allotted to them by Azerbaijani authorities. He said officials are willing to discuss providing a frequency to Washington-based Voice of America.
“We are ready to provide additional frequencies to foreign radio stations if necessary,†he said.
Editors of leading opposition newspapers and media freedom advocates issued a statement voicing concern, and promised to launch a campaign against what they said was increasing official pressure on freedom of speech.
Ali Kerimli, head of a leading opposition movement, said the decision reflected government attempts to “restore the Soviet-style authoritarianism.â€
Kerimli, who accused the government of trying to weaken the opposition and independent media ahead of the 2008 presidential election, said opponents were planning hunger strikes and pickets to protest the move in the oil-rich former Soviet republic.
BBC World Service said in a statement it was “watching the situation carefully†and wanted “to continue to offer our listeners in Azerbaijan independent and impartial news and information.â€
The move comes months after the Russian government curtailed the number of stations broadcasting Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America news programs, a move that drew criticism about the state of democracy under President Vladimir Putin. But Russian officials said the matter is simply one of stations’ conforming with their broadcast licenses.
Both Radio Free Europe and Voice of America are funded by the U.S. government, but with an independent editorial board.
During the Soviet era, Radio Liberty was one of the few sources of uncensored information in the region.
Popularity: 4% [?]
October 27, 2006Far-right groups plan to hold rallies across Russia next month under the slogan “It’s our country†as human rights organizations warned of a mounting racist campaign to drive out foreign workers, the Reuters news agency reports.
Anti-immigrant sentiments have been widespread in Russia for years but this month President Vladimir Putin said the “native population†must be protected from “ethnic†criminals after a series of fights between Russians and migrants from former Soviet republics.
Police have since deported or arrested thousands of illegal immigrants mainly from city markets which are dominated by traders from Central Asia and the Caucuses.
Georgians have been particularly heavily targeted after a row last month over alleged Russian spies in Tbilisi reduced relations between the countries to a new low.
A group called Action Against Illegal Immigrants (DPNI) is the main organizer of rallies planned in 10 Russian cities on November 4. Anti-racism campaigners are planning a counter-protest on the same day in the Russian capital.
“You can’t speak of being Russian as a citizenship only. Native Russians must have priority in our country,†Alexei Mikhailov, one of the DPNI’s leaders told Reuters.
“We have about 10 million illegal immigrants and most of them are criminals,†he said.
The DPNI has emerged over the last few years as a self-styled far-right group which advises ethnic Russians on how to organize protests against immigrants. Its leaders say they are against violence but in September DPNI helped organize a protest in the northern town of Kondopoga after a fight between Russians and Chechens. The protest turned into a riot and the Chechen community fled the town.
Mikhailov said more needed to be done to protect white, European Russians from immigrants — many of whom come to Russia from Muslim ex-Soviet republics to Russia’s south and east.
Authorities in Russia’s main cities, including Moscow and St Petersburg, have still to decide whether to grant permission for the marches, but Mikhailov said they will go ahead regardless.
He said his group did not support violence but it was likely extremist skinheads would join the marches and there may be some violence. “Fascist groups are not welcome, but some of them will come and we expect provocations,†he said.
Anti-racism campaigners are also applying to city authorities in Moscow for permission to hold a march.
“It’s a fascist march in reality,†Lyudmilla Alexeyeva, head of the Helsinki Group human rights organization in Moscow, said of the DPNI’s plans. “They are not against illegal immigrants, they are against all foreigners.â€
Popularity: 5% [?]
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