As the games go on, Russia continues to jail critics of
Putinism. Yesterday a judge in Krasnodar sent Yevgeny Vitishko to jail for
three years. Vitishko is a member of Environmental Watch on the North Caucasus
and a staunch critic of the environmental damage done by Olympic development in
Sochi.
His crime? Spray-painting a construction fence in protest.
Leading up to the Olympics there was some hope that, at
least until the Games end, political repression in Russia would slow. The
arrests of LGBT activists on opening day, and the severe sentence handed down
to Vitishko yesterday, suggest that maybe the opposite is true. While all eyes
are on the athletes, Russia is seizing the moment to crack down.
This is grim news, for as the athletes come home, what will
there be to restrain Putin?
Specifically talking about the corruption and waste, Navalny put together a site that details the politics and economics of the situation and those who have benefited. Take a look.
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