Duma in Search of Enemies. Statement

[Human Rights Center Memorial]

Duma in Search of Enemies

Statement by the International Society Memorial

The actions of the Duma, beginning in May, have taken on a hysterical character.

It is considering bills urgently, for the single purpose of holding on to its power monopoly.

After adopting legally illiterate and extremely dangerous political changes to the legislation on rallies, the State Duma in emergency mode has introduced changes to the law on non-profit organizations. The speed at which this has been done is startling – it is as if the enemy is already at the gates of the capital and only changes to this law can save the Motherland.

The false connections to the alleged presence of foreign experience – oral, of course, - are also startling.

But the most startling (and most telltale) thing is the complete ignoring of civil society's opinion. Almost all large Russian civil organizations spoke out against the bill, as well as the Presidential Civil Society and Human Rights Council, the Russian Federation Commissioner for Human Rights, and even the Public Chamber established by the Kremlin.

The Duma isn't even discussing these objections.

The reasons are obvious: the bill, meaningless from a substantial point of view, has only one purpose – to obtain a formal reason for declaring opponents hired enemies.

We have seen this way of “solving” urgent problems repeatedly during the Soviet Union. Today's authorities, it seems, know nothing of our history and learnt nothing from it.

13.07.2012

Body of the International Society Memorial

July 16, 2012