Greenwald says Snowden Documents Could Be 'Worst Nightmare' for US (Patriot NOT)

[DevonRex]

79. The 4th was the the bait and they swallowed it hook, line and sinker. The switch did

happen in Hong Kong but they were too in awe of their hero to see it. Now they're in too deep to admit it. That's how they get people to turn against their own country. Just yesterday people here said the U.S. was worse than the former Soviet Union and cheered Snowden's asylum there.

http://election.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3230731
Remember the old Soviet Union? [View all]

Remember how they arrested people for any reason, or no reason at all? Remember how they imprisoned and tortured citizens because, well just because?

You young ones, you who came to maturity after the fall of the Soviet Union, you probably don't recall how back then we roundly condemned those excesses. How we said, That could NEVER happen here.

I remember. I remember those condemnations. I remember how we said we were better than that.

We used to be right about those things.

Now, sadly, we are even worse than the old Soviet Union.

My response

DevonRex (20,694 posts)
116. OMG this is fucking ridiculous.

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/04/24/russia-worst-human-rights-climate-post-soviet-era

"Russia: Worst Human Rights Climate in Post-Soviet Era
Unprecedented Crackdown on Civil Society

Moscow) – The Russian government has unleashed a crackdown on civil society in the year since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency that is unprecedented in the country’s post-Soviet history.

The 78-page report, “Laws of Attrition: Crackdown on Russia’s Civil Society after Putin’s Return to the Presidency,”describes some of the changes since Putin returned to the presidency in May 2012. The authorities have introduced a series of restrictive laws, begun a nationwide campaign of invasive inspections of nongovernmental organizations, harassed, intimidated, and in a number of cases imprisonedpolitical activists, and sought to cast government critics as clandestine enemies. The report analyzes the new laws, including the so-called “foreign agents” law, the treason law, and the assembly law, and documents how they have been used.

“The new laws and government harassment are pushing civil society activists to the margins of the law,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The government crackdown is hurting Russian society and harming Russia’s international standing.”

Many of the new laws and the treatment of civil society violate Russia’s international human rights commitments, Human Rights Watch said."

Here's the link to the full report.

http://www.hrw.org/node/115059

" Laws of Attrition
Crackdown on Russia’s Civil Society after Putin’s Return to the Presidency

APRIL 24, 2013
This 78-page report describes some of the changes since Putin returned to the presidency in May 2012. The authorities have introduced a series of restrictive laws, begun a nationwide campaign of invasive inspections of nongovernmental organizations, harassed, intimidated, and in a number of cases imprisoned political activists, and sought to cast government critics as clandestine enemies. The report analyzes the new laws, including the so-called “foreign agents” law, the treason law, and the assembly law, and documents how they have been used."