As President Vladimir Putin’s eight years as titular head of the Russian state come to an end this week, the event will be greeted by some form of protest by the opposition Other Russia party. But one prominent sign of Russia’s increasing authoritarianism under Putin is the fact that hurdles to any sort of peaceful protest – especially action centered on demands for greater political openness – are high, and seemingly becoming ever higher. The denial of Other Russia’s application for a march, along with the reversal of a decision to allow gay rights activists to stage demonstrations throughout the May holidays, suggest that freedom of assembly will continue to be severely restricted after the May 7 handover from Mr. Putin to hand-picked successor Dmitri Medvedev.
Recent May Day demonstrations, which drew more than 2 million citizens into cities across Russia, were dominated by economic concerns over inflation and food prices. May Day also provided a platform for speeches by prominent opposition leaders, including a demonstration by Other Russia in St. Petersburg. This came amid a backdrop of several moves to curtail freedom of association in Russia, however.
On April 21st, Other Russia filed an application for a “March of Dissent” to take place on May 7 in Moscow. The application was denied eight days later on the grounds that space was limited and that an application by the pro-Kremlin Young Russia had been received first. The denial inspired a lawsuit claiming that the government broke its own laws by not suggesting an alternative location and by failing to respond to the request within three days, as the law stipulates.
Previous Marches of Dissent have been flashpoints for confrontation between the opposition and Russian authorities. The first such demonstration, in 2006, inspired raids on the offices of Garry Kasparov’s United Civil Front. Arrests of opposition activists following a subsequent march in November 2007 led to widespread international condemnation and pressure for their release. Yuri Chervochkin, an activist involved with organizing that protest, was killed in a mysterious beating that took place hours after he called a colleague to say that he was being followed by officials he recognized as belonging to the police. Colleagues were briefly detained on the way to his funeral in December and his fiancé has recently fled Russia for Ukraine following intimidation by the authorities. In March, an unsanctioned protest against Medvedev’s election resulted in more than 100 arrests.
The political opposition is not alone in having its efforts undermined by the state. Legitimate gay rights activists in Russia have also in recent years been subjected to restrictions on their freedom of assembly that have intensified in the run-up to the inauguration. One example: after initially being granted the right to hold a Moscow demonstration in May in conjunction with the International Day of Silence orchestrated by gay rights activists worldwide, the application was denied on the grounds that the European Convention on Human Rights’ Article 11 allows for restrictions on activities likely to have a negative impact on public order. A small group of protesters in St. Petersburg took advantage of the fact that protests by individuals are allowed without a permit, but were assaulted upon leaving the scene of the protest. Late reports suggest that negotiations between activists and authorities in Moscow have produced a compromise in which a rally, as opposed to a march, will be held. More broadly, violence surrounding previous gay rights marches in Russia has inspired lawsuits both domestically and in the European Court of Human Rights, along with widespread criticism of the Putin regime. In another illustrative incident, a Russian journalist reportedly responded to a classified advertisement calling for volunteers willing to pose as gay activists and reported that he was told the purpose of the bogus ad was to distract from the March of Dissent and discredit gays in the country.
Many analysts have ventured predictions about whether Russia under Medvedev will experience a degree of political opening, but there is little consensus on the issue. What is clear is that the over the last several years the authorities have honed and perfected their techniques for limiting public expressions of dissent, whether in the media or on the streets. While academic debate rages about the sustainability of economic progress under authoritarian governments, the Countries at the Crossroads 2007 report makes clear that there are many important governance issues that are not being addressed in Russia’s stifling political environment. Absent a fundamental change in attitude on the part of the government or a full-blown social or economic crisis, dissenting voices will continue to face severe obstacles in their efforts to broaden and deepen the debate about Russia’s future.
Photo of Russian gay rights protester taken by Flickr user bowbrick
