Stories about Russia from December, 2011
Russia: AIDS Epidemic – “Shame Russia Shame”
International organizations are taking notice of Russia's AIDS epidemic and the hurdles the country faces in combating it. Recent international attention has been directed toward Russia's healthcare system, the stigma attached to those infected, and Russia's drug policies. Donna Welles reports.
Russia: Moscow Election Committee Calls to Prosecute Popular Blogger
Moscow Election Committee had issued an official letter to the Prosecutor's office and the police to start an investigation of probable defamation against Oleg Kozyrev, one of the top Russian...
Russia: Social Network In-Between Security Services and Free Market
As social networks in Russia like Vkontakte play an ever increasing role in communication between post-election protesters, so too grows the interest of the security services to limit them. This conflict leads to a hard choice: whether Vkontakte should respond to security service requests, or allow its users uncontrolled protest activity.
Russia: The Opposition in St. Petersburg Fails to Reach Understanding
December 2011 post-election protest events consist of two elements: 'professional oppositioners' and concerned citizens. In Moscow those two elements managed to get together. In St. Petersburg, however, the meeting was let down by one of the parties. Citizens responded with confusion and disdain.
Video Highlights: Protests, Elections, Culture and GV
A selection of Global Voices' recent and interesting stories including video from Middle East and North Africa, Sub Saharan Africa, Eastern and Central Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America, selected by Juliana Rincón Parra.
Russia: Opposition Faces Online Communication Problems
The ability to broadcast the events of December 2011 in Russia live online, has made people around the world and in the country the spectators of a truly historical event – the December 22 gathering of some 100-150 opposition activists, who represented thousands of the netizens and millions of not-connected Russians.
Russia: Phone Hacking Case Unites Opposition
The leaking of private phone conversations of a prominent Russian opposition leader to the media has given rise to many issues and left a lot of questions unanswered. Dmitry Davidov reports.
Russia: Alexey Navalny Released From Jail
“Everyone's waiting for Navalny ) 5 more minutes! pic.twitter.com/3BRHiuGa,” tweeted [ru] @varlamov a short while ago, posting a picture of the crowd waiting outside a Moscow prison for activist Alexey...
Russia: Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the 2012 Presidential Election
Incarcerated since 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky is once again in Russia's political spotlight as presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov vows to pardon him if he's elected next spring. Donna Welles reports.
Russia: December 10 Opposition Rally in St. Petersburg
Russia hasn’t seen such a mass political rally in almost twenty years. On Dec. 10, thousands of Russians all over the country hit the bricks to participate in peaceful demonstrations. Maria Lelyuk reports from St. Petersburg.
Russia: Post-Election Protest in Vladivostok on December 10
Prior to the national protests that took place on December 10 in various Russian cities, Vladivostok internet community has been actively discussing the necessity to protest. Masha Egupova reported the events and discussion.
Brazil/Russia: The Struggle for Democracy in the Aftermath of Elections
Brazilian professor in political sciences Maurício Santoro, has written an analysis [pt] about of recent Russian elections. He comments on the allegedly rigged results and the struggle for democracy in...
Russia: Gregory Shvedov on Braving the Putin Regime Online
The wave of popular, peaceful and nationwide protests in Russia has spread hopes of piecemeal reform. Gregory Shvedov, who heads the online news agency Caucasian Knot, is optimistic—but state pressure on his organization is far from easing.
Russia: A Critical Eye on Protests
Der Unbequeme turns a critical eye on [ger] the ongoing protests in Moscow against the results of parliamentary elections, arguing that protesters are few, divided, and that an actual OSCE-assessment...
Russia: Holy Relic Visits Nation Emerging From State-Sponsored Atheism
People from across Russia traveled great distances and endured hardships in order to view the Virgin Mary's belt - a relic believed to promote fertility. In the decades since the fall of the USSR, religion has been reinventing itself in Russia.
Russia: 13 Protest Tweets, 6 Photos “Storified” (Updated)
“Tens of thousands protest Russian election” – 13 tweets, 6 photos from the Dec. 10 rally in Moscow, “storified” on Storify.com by Colleen Kelly. (Update: A Storify compilation by GV's...
China: Why Didn't Putin Come Pick Up His Confucius Peace Prize?
A renegade operation by Chinese leftists aimed at winning China some soft power points has backfired: Not only has the Chinese government tried to shut them down, but now a second recipient of their annual "Confucius Peace Prize" has declined to accept the award.
Russia: “Why Are Russians Protesting Now?”
On Saturday, the world watched the biggest show of political activism seen in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. This is hardly the first time Putin's Russia has been accused of undemocratic policies, so the question is, "Why are Russians protesting now?"
Russia: An “Ethical Revolution”
Photographer Oleg Klimov posts photos from the Dec. 10 rally in Moscow and describes it [ru] as an “ethical revolution”: “The issue at stake wasn't that of social justice, but...
Russia: Interview With an “Overseas Filipino Worker”
English Dad in Moscow interviews a woman from the Philippines who works as a cleaner and babysitter in Moscow: “I wanted to know how hard is to move here as...
Russia: Ukrainian Blogger's Photos From the Moscow Rally
Kyiv-based blogger Oleksandr Arhat (LJ user olarhat) posts a photo report [uk] from the Dec. 10 post-election rally in Moscow, which reminded him of the 2004 post-election protests in Kyiv:...
