Daily Archive for August 31st, 2008

In Soviet Minneapolis, a thought crime lands you in jail

Reports are pouring in from the site of the 2008 Republican National Convention that protesters are being rounded up by local law enforcement raids prior to the convention. “Anarchists” are raided, handcuffed, jailed and then released without any charges being filed. If there are charges filed, they are for things like fire code violations. That, of course, is an age old Soviet tactic for shutting up dissent.

The targets of the arrests are calling the raids as blatant attempts to intimidate and stop them from protesting during the convention. This sort of crap belongs in Soviet Russia and has no place whatsoever in the US.

It’s interesting that this is exactly the same sort of stuff that landed the NYPD and New York City in hot water during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. A Supreme Court Judge fined New York City $1,000 per detainee back then. I guess the police in Minneapolis thinks they can get away with it this time.

It is also very interesting that stuff like this doesn’t seem to happen during the Democratic National Conventions. What is it about the Republicans that cause everyone involved ignore things like The Constitution? Oh, wait…never mind.

-TPP

  1. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30arrests.html
  2. http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/30/police_raids/index.html
  3. http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/31/raids/index.html
  4. http://www.startribune.com/local/27703754.html

Russian opposition figureheads continue their dying

Word comes in today that Magomed Yevloev, an owner of the Ingush opposition web site, Ingushetiya.ru has been killed.

Kasparov.ru is reporting that Yevloev was killed by a single gunshot in the head. The information is not clear on who exactly killed him, but the implication appears to be that he was killed while in custody of the local Kremlin backed gestapo. The killers dropped him at a hospital critically wounded and simply drove off. Doctors at the hospital could not save his life.

According to reports from the area, the police is claiming a police officer’s gun discharged accidentally and a bullet hit Yevloev in the head. That would most certainly be one convenient accident for the local administration. They have, after all, been trying to silence Yevloev for quite some time.

Ingushetiya.ru, and its operators, have been under constant harassment by the Russian Government in recent months. Earlier this month, the site was ordered shut down by the Russian Government. Roza Malsagova, an editor of the website, fleed Russia to France and is reported to be seeking political asylum there. She’s also facing multiple criminal charges in Russia just because she’s involved with running the website. It looks like she is the lucky one.

-TPP