Both the European Union and the United States expressed their dismay over the recent heavy-handed tactics of Russian police forces in suppressing weekend (April 14-15, 2007) protest marches by opposition groups to President Putin’s regime. Russian police officials were accused of beating demonstrators, journalists and any individuals who happened to be in the vicinity, as well as detaining others for questioning. These types of brutal tactics have not been seen since the 1980s and bring up memories of the old Soviet style repressive regime.
Although there were no known fatalities, the European Union has called on Russia to respect both freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Human rights groups in Russia have demanded that an independent commission be set up to investigate police actions. The Human Rights Ombudsman, Vladimir Lukin has also stated that he believes police exceeded their authority. Yet, the Russian government, through its control of certain media outlets, has presented a vastly different picture of the protests. In most television clips, the police were seen to be “politely” escorting protestors. At the same time, neatly dressed youth were also seen acting patriotically at a pro-Kremlin event. The government has stated that they were trying to curtail the activities of ultra-nationalists and both the government and certain elements of the media have hinted that any violence has been fomented by Western powers trying to stir up trouble in Russia.
Trampling the Protestors
The “March of Dissent” protests in Moscow and St Petersburg were organized by the umbrella organization/coalition for opposition groups, known as Other Russia. Demonstrators were protesting the perception that the Russian government was trampling on democratic freedoms, and for their efforts, they were trampled on. Even former chess legend Gary Kasparov, a major leader in the opposition movement and a very vocal critic of President Putin was detained in the melee. Opposition groups are also concerned that upcoming Parliamentary elections in December 2007 and Presidential elections in March 2008 will neither be fair nor democratic. Russian authorities are nervous about these opposition groups and their impact on the upcoming elections and hence their overreaction to these protests.
Further adding fuel to the fire, Russian business tycoon exile, Boris Berezovsky has taunted Moscow with statements that he intends to bring revolution to Russia and that Putin will have to be removed by force. Berezovsky later clarified his statement claiming that he was only advocating non-violent methods. The Russian government has renewed calls for his extradition and the British government is looking into the context of his statements.
Back to the USSR?
To many, Russia’s experiment with democracy after the collapse of the Soviet Union appears to be failing. Under Putin:
• a free media has been controlled;
• human rights and non-governmental organization activities have been curtailed;
• Russia has consolidated ownership of many economic assets – especially in the energy sector; and
• Centralized control has been increasing.
These actions of the Russian government against the protestors are reminiscent of the Soviet days. Russia has also increased its information and propaganda actions against the West, which also provides Cold War reverberations. The Russian government and its media have portrayed dissent as the actions of outsiders trying to foment discontent within Russia. The implication is that Russians should all rally against a common foe and any dissenters should be looked at with suspicion.
A Lack of Traction for the Opposition
Ironically, opposition groups are not currently thriving in Russia. Fear is hampering opposition groups – only a few thousand people showed up at each of the protests – and the government can make life very difficult for those with opposing viewpoints. Another reason is that these groups have not appealed too much of the population because President Putin is still quite popular. Putin is credited with bringing political stability to Russian politics despite his aggrandizing the Kremlin’s power base, and energizing economic prosperity. In addition, Russia’s increasingly bellicose rhetoric internationally has ensured Russia’s continued relevancy on the world stage, another source of pride.
Russia’s harsh reaction to these protests certainly did not win them any international favor, nor do they particularly care. However, it is within Russia itself that the opposition groups need to find the support of the people in order to gain momentum. When the media does not accurately portray protests, then it is hard to convince people that something is wrong with the system. In former Soviet republics and satellite states, opposition groups gained the support of the people to achieve non-violent revolutions and change.
We believe it is unlikely that opposition groups in Russia will have enough popular support to influence the next set of elections unless the Russian government does something that is too heinous to ignore, explain or hide.