Published on Alternet
(http://www.alternet.org)
10 Reasons Russia Is a Much
Crueler Place Than the Cuddly Snowy Image It's Projecting at Sochi
February 11,
2014 |
The Winter
Olympics being held in Sochi, Russia was supposed to be the country’s moment in
the sun, an opportunity for strongman President Vladimir Putin to bask in the
glory of having the world’s eyes on his country.
“This is,
without a doubt not only a recognition of Russia’s achievements in sports, it
is, there is no doubt, an assessment of our country,” Putin said in 2007, [3] in the aftermath of the
International Olympic Committee’s choice to hold the games in Sochi. “This is
an acknowledgment of its growing capabilities, first and foremost in the
economic and social spheres.”
The world’s
eyes are certainly on Russia, as hundreds of athletes from around the world
travel there to compete in sports ranging from freestyle skiing to ice hockey
to figure skating. But instead of acknowledging Russia’s achievements, the
Sochi games have sparked a deluge of negative press aimed at Putin’s regime.
(The U.S. is only somewhat better on gay rights and other issues than Russia.
As Ian Ayres and William Eskridge wrote in the Washington Post
[4], eight U.S. states have provisions similar to Russia’s anti-gay propaganda
law.) From virulently anti-gay laws and corruption to crackdowns on dissent,
Putin’s Russia is a dark place for many of its citizens. Here are 10 of the
worst things to come out of Russia recently.
1. Gay
Propaganda Law
Russia’s brutal
targeting of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population has
attracted the lion’s share of press coverage and activist initiatives around
the world related to the Olympics. The first anti-gay law passed in the Russian
legislature last year and was signed by Putin on June 30. The bill bans
“propaganda” about “non-traditional” sexual relations around children. It is
written so broadly that it effectively bars any positive discussion of gay
rights or any action labeled as gay around children. The legislation imposes
fines of up to $156 for an individual and $31,000 for media organizations, and
could also lead to the arrests of LGBT people.
The law also
applies to foreigners. If non-Russians are seen as spreading pro-gay messages,
they could be fined and detained for up to 14 days and then expelled from the
country. On July 22, the first foreigners were taken into custody for violating the bill [5].
Four Dutch citizens were arrested for filming a documentary and interviewing
Russian youth on gay rights.
As Jeff Sharlet wrote in a GQ magazine cover story this month
[6], the bill is a way of bolstering Putin’s populist credentials. The
Putin-backed initiative is as much about gays as it is about “the unstable
price of oil and Putin's eroding popular support...The less prosperity Putin
can deliver, the more he speaks of holy Russian empire, language to which the
Russian Orthodox Church thrills,” wrote Sharlet.
2. Russian
Adoption Law
On July 3, Putin
signed into law a bill barring gay couples from adopting Russian-born children.
In addition, the legislation bans the adoption of Russian children by any
parents who live in a country where marriage equality is the law. In a statement released [7] after the bill was
passed, the Kremlin said: “The measure is aimed at guaranteeing a harmonious
and full upbringing for children in adoptive families.” The legislation was
supported by right-wing American evangelicals [8] like the
National Organization for Marriage president.
3. Foreign
Agents Law
In 2012, a law
was passed targeting non-governmental organizations that receive money from
abroad. It forces NGOs in Russia working on issues ranging from LGBT rights to
corruption to register as “foreign agents” with the government. Since its
passage, Russian authorities have investigated thousands of nonprofits
suspected of being “foreign agents.” Some organizations have suffered hefty
fines. A few groups that could not withstand the fines were forced to shut down
over the law.
“The 'foreign
agents law' was designed to stigmatize and discredit NGOs engaged in human
rights, election monitoring and other critical work,” Amnesty International’s John Dalhuisen said in a statement
last year [9]. “It is providing a perfect pretext for fining and
closing critical organizations and will cut often vital funding streams."
4. Anti-Gay
Violence
The anti-gay
laws have contributed to an environment in Russia where being gay is seen as a
crime. The legislation has institutionalized homophobia, and LGBT activists say
the bills are encouraging violence against gays. In September 2013, the Guardian reported [10]
that activists told the newspaper, “the legislation has emboldened rightwing
groups who use social media to ‘ambush’ gay people, luring them to meetings and
then humiliating them on camera—sometimes pouring urine on them.” Gay teenagers
have been particularly targeted.
5.
Environmental Destruction
The building of
the Sochi Olympic village has thrown a spotlight on the deleterious effects to
the environment that often come with large-scale projects. Forget Russia’s
claims that the Olympics would be “green.” The Russian Olympic Village, the
accommodation center for the Olympics, has led to the loss of wetlands that
were home to 65 species of birds. Parts of the national park in Sochi, known
for its diverse animal and plant life, has been destroyed. A large forest [11] was
completely wrecked.
The quality of
life for residents in Sochi has decreased, with some 2,000 families forced to
resettle. The dumping of construction waste and building of power lines have
caused landslides, and in one village, drinking wells were destroyed. Pollution
and construction have damaged the Mzymta, Sochi’s largest river. On top of all that,
there’s the usual negative impact from travel, massive construction and
hospitality services.
The Sochi
Olympics are no anomaly: Russia’s general environmental record is nothing to
praise. Oil and gas development in the Arctic [12] have
threatened indigenous people and contaminated rivers. Russia’s air is
thoroughly polluted, much of it due to factories.
6. Corruption
Corruption,
including bribes, vote-rigging and abuses of power, is a major problem in
Russia. Its rank on the Corruption Index [13], published by
Transparency International, is 127, out of 175 countries ranked. Bribery is the
main form of corruption in Russia. Businesses pay extra cash to the government
to grease the wheels for their projects. Bribes are also used to stave off the
inquiries of the government. Individual Russians are forced to bribe higher-ups
to get into universities, shoo away cops or obtain passports.
The Sochi
Olympics process has been laden with corruption. In January, Gian Franco
Kasper, a member of the International Olympic Committee, estimated [14] that a third of the $50 billion
spent on Sochi has been siphoned off. A former Russian government official
estimated that between $20-$30 billion went to embezzlement and kickbacks. Oligarchs close to Putin have received government contracts
[15] to build facilities like the ice rink and journalist center.
7. Targeting
Journalists
Russia is no
haven for the press. Since Vladimir Putin assumed power in 2000, dozens of
journalists have lost their lives on the job. Many were slain by contract
killers, and the Russian police and judiciary have done a poor job at catching
the culprits. Since 1992, at least 56 journalists have been killed.
Beyond the
killings is the general harsh climate for the press in the country. Opposition
bloggers have been arrested. Journalists fear gathering information from
organizations the government dislikes. Visas have been denied to journalists
critical of Putin.
Thousands of
journalists have traveled to Sochi to cover the Olympics, but they are
confronting a government bent on obstructing the press. A presidential decree
made clear that “journalists will be central targets of the extensive
surveillance program introduced by Russian authorities in Sochi,” as the Committee to Protect Journalists notes. [16]
Local Russian journalists “prefer to cover Sochi the way they would cover a
deceased man: in a positive light or not at all... both official repression and
self-censorship have restricted coverage of sensitive issues in the run-up to
Sochi,” the committee reports. [17]
8. Crackdown on
Dissent
The jailings of
members of the band Pussy Riot and Greenpeace activists have made international
headlines over the past year. Both cases highlight Russia’s relentless crackdown
on activism and dissent. The recent release of Pussy Riot members, Greenpeace
activists and the tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, widely thought to be moves made
to improve Russia’s image before Sochi, are deviations from the norm.
In June 2013,
Putin signed a law mandating prison time for anybody who “insults” the feelings
of religious people. Protesters who participated in a 2012 demonstration in
Moscow have been targeted for jail. In the run-up to Sochi, Human Rights Watch [18]
said Russian authorities have intimidated and harassed “organizations,
individuals, and journalists who criticized the local government.”
9. Abusing
Migrants
Since 2009,
thousands of migrant workers from Central Asia and other countries have
traveled to Sochi to assist in the building of facilities for the Olympics. But
hundreds of them have been denied pay [19] and
were expelled back to their countries after they finished their construction
jobs. Bosses cheated workers out of their money by underpaying them. Employers
also required migrant workers to work long hours with few days off, and took
away passports and work permits.
The abuse of
migrant workers is part of a larger crackdown. In July 2013, authorities in
Moscow started detaining people who looked non-Slavic. Thousands of people were
taken into custody. Some were expelled, while others were held in prisons under
inhumane conditions.
10. Russia’s
War on Terror
For over a
decade, Russia has been engaged in its own war on terror against separatists in
Chechnya and Dagestan, two mostly Muslim federal subdivisions of the country.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, separatists in Chechnya renewed their
struggle for independence. Violent attacks on Russia have become an inseparable
part of that struggle. The roots of their grievances lie in attempts by Russia
to incorporate the republics, which are ethnically and religiously distinct
from much of the country.
The first
Russian war on Chechnya against separatists lasted for two years. Though the
first war ended in 1996, the conflict was transformed into one between Islamist
militants and Russia. The second war in Chechnya, which eventually encompassed
Dagestan, was also brutal. Thousands of people, many of them Chechen civilians,
were killed. Russian security forces’ conduct has been characterized by
torture, executions and forced disappearances.
The large-scale
wars are over for now, but Dagestan and other Northern Caucasus regions still
have active Islamist groups operating, which have carried out attacks on
Russia. In response, Russian authorities continue to deploy a heavy hand,
especially in the run-up to Sochi.
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