EXPLAINING THE STRUGGLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN RUSSIA |
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Hello and welcome back to the Digest. |
First of all, my apologies for missing several issues. We had some technical issues, and I had to take time off for a family emergency. Moreover, the Digest is going to change in the coming weeks. It will cease to be weekly and now come out twice a month. This will hopefully give us some space to improve on the format and delve deeper into important stories and ideas. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve the Digest further don’t hesitate to reach out to me. |
With that being said, the Digest must go on, so today we are talking about the several repressive laws that have just come into force. |
In solidarity, Dan Storyev |
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Trigger warning:
This is a newsletter about Russian repressions. Sometimes it will be hard to read. |
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There is something that we call the mad printer in Russia — it is the propensity of lawmakers to overwhelm the system with a slew of new laws supporting the Kremlin. One might think that since Russia is an authoritarian state, laws and lawmakers carry little importance, however in many instances Russia is a very legalistic country. The laws thus have an important function of communicating the Kremlin’s will to the populace and justifying police actions.
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Over the past few months, the mad printer has been working tirelessly. On September 1 many of these laws finally came into effect. Here is a list of just a few new rules. |
First of all, the Kremlin has now brought “Important Conversations” even to kindergartens. “Important Conversations”, which I wrote about in Digest #24, are effectively propaganda lessons, where pro-Kremlin values are instilled in children. Often they are led by Ukraine war veterans.
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Children wearing army hats in a museum / Photo: SOTA |
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“Looking for and accessing extremist materials” will now carry a fine of up to 60 USD. |
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It’s unclear how exactly this will be enforced. Bear in mind, that anything can be labeled “extremist” — songs, memes, movies. The list has a degree of macabre absurdity to it — it contains both the Ukrainian slogan “Glory to Ukraine!” and a trailer for an islamophobic American short film “Innocence of Muslims” alongside the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Jehovah’s Witnesses brochures. |
So, if you are a student writing a paper on, say, the rise of Fascism in Europe, it is now illegal for you to look up Mein Kampf or La dottrina del fascismo — both on the extremist list. |
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“Foreign agents” are now banned from educating. |
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As longtime readers know, “foreign agent” is a legal status used by the Kremlin against any person or organisation they deem a threat. Anyone critical of the Kremlin can be proclaimed a foreign agent — even for splitting a restaurant bill with a foreigner friend. |
A slew of “foreign agents” are public speakers or educators, so this is once again an attempt to crack down on their ability to make a living. |
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This ability to survive is often underemphasised, but it is exactly what allows Russian civil society to continue existing. |
More to the earlier point about hitting the financials of the opposition, it is now illegal to advertise on websites considered undesirable, extremist or terrorist — all designations ascribed at will and often to entirely peaceful organisations. |
| Picket by Echo of Moscow journalist Irina Babloian at Lubyanka. The sign says: “You are the foreign agents.” / Photo: Alec Sander, SOTA |
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Using a VPN (virtual private network) is now a “heightening condition” for committing a crime, meaning that people who commit crimes in which a VPN is used can be punished more harshly. Additionally, advertising good VPNs is also forbidden now, as one can only advertise VPNs which comply with blocking the Kremlin’s list of banned materials. The act of using a VPN is by itself legal — so far. Since the war began VPNs have become a lifeline for anyone seeking independent news and information.
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Finally, all smartphones sold in Russia must now have the Max messenger pre-installed. Max is a messaging app designed in Russia and completely transparent to Moscow’s security services. Coupled with the recent ban on using WhatsApp for calls, Max is now pretty much the only option for those not tech savvy enough to install a VPN. |
This is all a part of a slow burning attempt to separate Russians from the global internet — and the trend for creating the so-called sovereign Russian internet has been increasing. Add to that the other initiatives which aim to stifle freedom and you get another step in a march towards authoritarianism. |
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The Digest is created by OVD-Info, written by Dan Storyev, edited by Dr Lauren McCarthy |
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