US scolds Russia for breakup of anti-Kremlin protests

[maddezmom]

Source: Reuters

US scolds Russia for breakup of anti-Kremlin protests
By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - The United States scolded Russia on Monday over a police crackdown on anti-Kremlin protests, calling it a heavy-handed response that raised new questions about Moscow's commitment to democracy.

The U.S. reaction marked the sharpest criticism of President Vladimir Putin's government since he accused Washington in February of trying to impose its will on the world, and could further strain bilateral relations.

Riot police wielding batons beat, kicked and chased opposition demonstrators in St. Petersburg on Sunday, a day after authorities detained several hundred protesters in Moscow, including former world chess champion Garry Kasparov.

"We are deeply disturbed by the heavy-handed manner in which this weekend's demonstrations ... were broken up by the authorities and by an emerging pattern of use of excessive force by the authorities in reaction to similar events," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N16322993.htm

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pots meeting kettles here :eyes:

[acmavm]

1. Oh for crying out loud, words fail me (for once). This administration has

got to be kidding (I know that they're not tho).

Wonder why protesting against the bush** administration is worthy of such heavy handed tactics if protest is such a good thing.

[Bluzmann57]

2. I read in another thread where bushies say it's ok to eject people

from any event where Bush is appearing if they don't agree with him. So I ask, what's the difference? The answer? No difference. Just more hypocrisy by these clowns.

[tanyev]

3. Yeah, what you do is lock them up right away for bumper stickers and t-shirts.

Then it never has the opportunity to get violent, see?

[Kajsa]

4. What's being questioned here is whether people have the right to

assemble peacefully and protest.

[otherlander]

5. AAAHHH!!!! THE WHITE HOUSE IS AGREEING WITH ME!

MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP!!!

[bamacrat]

6. One would think Amerikkka would love this...

because wasn't an elderly handicapped woman dragged across the ground during the break up of an anti-bush rally?

[samsingh]

7. bush's goons can not lecture anyone anymore

[TexasLawyer]

8. Free speech zones!!!

If only the Russians had provided its people with free speech zones-- Russia could be just like America. Gotta love those freedoms.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_speech_zone

[0rganism]

9. refresh my memory... how many were locked up during the NYC protests?

I seem to recall there were at least a thousand detainees, held in unsanitary conditions of an ancient delapidated bus terminal-turned-prison camp.
Who's "raising questions about commitment to democracy", again?

[daleo]

10. Putin could have put up a free speech zone in Siberia

That would have satisfied Bush.