Belarus KGB gets new powers amid growing anger

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/belarus-kgb-gets-powers-amid-growing-anger-140043988.html

By YURAS KARMANAU - Associated Press | AP – 12 hrs ago

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Belarus' authoritarian president is trying to tighten his grip on the ex-Soviet nation with new legislation that boosts the already sweeping powers of the secret police, still known as the KGB.

As well as lifting restrictions on the KGB's use of weapons, the legislation gives KGB officers the authority to break into residences and offices and makes it even easier for President Alexander Lukashenko to put his political opponents behind bars.

A new ban on receiving foreign funds carries a two-year prison sentence, while simply calling for an anti-government protest can send someone to prison for three years. The government is also expanding the definition of treason in such a way as to cast possible suspicion on anyone working for a foreign organization.

Oleg Gulak, the head of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, a leading human rights watchdog, said the country's law enforcement agencies are being given "the same rights that the Soviet secret police had in Stalin's times."

Rights activists and opposition politicians said Friday the move reflected Lukashenko's fear of rising public anger over the country's worst financial crisis since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. The national currency, the ruble, has collapsed and inflation is running at a staggering 60 percent.

The economic meltdown has shaken the power of Lukashenko, whose iron-fisted rule over more than 17 years has prompted the U.S. and European Union to impose economic and travel sanctions. A recent poll showed that Lukashenko's approval rating has plummeted to an all-time low of 20 percent.

"Lukashenko has run out of money and he is now selling fear to an angry and hungry population," Belarus' first post-Soviet leader, Stanislav Shushkevich, told The Associated Press on Friday.

The poll from Independent Institute for Socio-Economic and Political Research indicated that support for Lukashenko was falling among farmers, blue collar workers and retirees — the social groups that have previously backed him most thanks to his efforts to preserve a Soviet-style social safety net and maintain relative economic stability.

"Lukashenko has had a social pact with society for the past 17 years that assumes he provides pay and the public stays away from politics," said Valery Karbalevich, an analyst with Strategia, an independent think tank. "Lukashenko now has no money to pay, and the pact is broken. The threat of economic collapse is now prompting Lukashenko to use an iron fist."

The past summer saw a wave of demonstrations against Lukashenko's regime by people who clapped their hands, stomped their feet or simply smiled.

Initially caught by surprise, police quickly started rounding up demonstrators even though their actions did not violate any law because they chanted no anti-government slogans and carried no signs.

The set of legal amendments, passed at a closed session of parliament earlier this month and posted on a government website Thursday, now give police formal justification for clamping down on those taking part in the protests despite the absence of any political demands. Gatherings for "active inaction" will now be banned.

The presidential administration said it would not comment on the new measures, which were submitted by Lukashenko. He still needs to sign them into law.

A separate legal amendment expands the definition of treason to include "assisting a foreign state, a foreign organization or its representative to the detriment of Belarus' national security," which is punishable by a prison sentence from seven to 15 years.

"They want to scare society, to demonstrate that this KGB monster can do whatever it wants," said Anatoly Lebedko, the leader of the opposition United Civil Party. "Involvement in political activities is now effectively equal to a crime in Belarus."

Further turning up the heat on opposition groups, the new legislation makes it illegal for political parties and movements to receive any funds from abroad or keep their money in foreign banks. It introduces a two-year prison term for those violating the ban.

This may further hurt the case of Alex Belyatsky, the jailed leader of Vesna, the most prominent human rights group in Belarus. He was arrested in August after Polish and Lithuanian prosecutors gave Belarusian police information about Vesna's bank accounts in their countries. He has been charged with tax evasion, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison.

In office since 1994, Lukashenko has consistently suppressed opposition, cracked down on independent journalists and kept the country's broadcasters under tight state control.

He won another term in December in an election that sparked massive street protests against alleged vote fraud. The protests were violently dispersed by riot police and seven of the nine candidates who ran against Lukashenko were arrested, along with some 700 others. Two of the arrested candidates remain in prison, serving sentences of five to six years.

With relations with the West at freezing point, Lukashenko has sought financial aid from Belarus' main ally and sponsor, Russia. But Moscow has used the situation to increase pressure on Belarus to sell its state-run industries, something Lukashenko has long refused to do.

[Dustin C 12]

Man that definitely not good... Looks like he needs ousted by the people before things get even worse.

[SMR 368]

Sounds bad. Hopefully Lukashenko gets taken care of.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

It just keeps getting more twisted in the RUB countries.

http://news.yahoo.com/russias-medvedev-rallies-disappointed-supporters-130125341.html

Russia's Medvedev rallies disappointed supporters

By LYNN BERRY - Associated Press | AP – 17 mins ago

MOSCOW (AP) — President Dmitry Medvedev urged supporters to stick with him despite his decision not to seek re-election, and insisted Saturday that Russia would eventually develop its own brand of democracy.

Medvedev announced last month that he was moving aside to let Vladimir Putin return to the presidency and would take over Putin's post as prime minister. The decision raises the possibility of a Putin presidency that lasts through 2024, and adds to fears that Putin will expand his authoritarian hold on the state.

Although Putin has remained the more powerful leader in the nominally No. 2 post, Medvedev's stint as president had given hope to some who want to see Russia develop into a modern, democratic country governed by the rule of law.

To reach out to those who were disappointed, Medvedev held a televised meeting with bloggers, cultural figures and others, including a decorated tank commander and steel worker.

"If I understand well, everyone who is gathered here wants to see our country change, wants our society and our state to be modernized, so in other words you are my supporters," he said.

The meeting appeared aimed at nailing down votes for Putin and Medvedev's party in December's parliamentary election and for Putin in the presidential election in March. Medvedev said a victory in both was needed for Russia to move forward — although political analysts say those wins are not in doubt.

He stressed his 20-year friendship with Putin, to whom he acknowledged he owed his political career, and again defended the decision for them to swap jobs. Putin has a higher popularity rating and "we are pragmatic politicians, not dreamers," Medvedev said.

Some of Putin's opponents, however, have welcomed his decision to reclaim the presidency, saying it destroyed any remaining illusions that Medvedev could break free from his mentor and lead Russia down a different path.

Medvedev on Saturday addressed the criticism that his promises to open up the political system, fight corruption and attract investment had remained just words, saying those goals could not be accomplished quickly.

He insisted that Russia remained committed to building a democratic system, but that it would not be a copy of democracy as practiced in the United States or other countries.

Prompted by words of gratitude from a steel worker in the audience, Medvedev criticized Russia's centralized system of power in which actions are taken only following a decision from the top. Dmitry Chervyakov told him that following their meeting in April, the trams in his industrial town now ran late enough to allow those working the second shift to get home and the steel mill's cafeteria also was open into the evening.

"To resolve a basic problem, like with the tram or cafeteria, you had to visit the president," Medvedev said. "That's how it is here, and the name of the president makes no difference, by the way. You have to go to the top for something to budge. We must try to destroy this system of decision-making."

In contrast, Putin demonstrated this top-down control earlier in the day when he ordered the head of Russia's railways, Vladimir Yakunin, to travel to Siberia and sort out a shortage of rail cars for shipping coal.

"I hope that next time you won't wait to be told but will stay on top of the situation yourself and make the necessary decisions," Putin said during a televised meeting.

[eekee 182]

i think Aemerican was describing a situation where Belarus becomes a part of the Russian Federation, like other Republics in the RF--which, by the way, was something that Lukashenko did want years and years ago, when Yeltsin was still in power, so he could then become dictator of Russia. But I believe his dreams all fell apart when Putin came into power.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

And in other news....

http://news.yahoo.com/putin-calls-himself-hardest-working-russian-leader-194134957.html

Tsar Putin calls himself hardest-working Russian dictator/leader

By MANSUR MIROVALEV - Associated Press | AP – 1 hr 43 mins ago

MOSCOW (AP) — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lauded himself Monday as Russia's hardest-working leader since World War II, putting himself above Communist-era titans like Stalin and Khrushchev in his first lengthy interview since announcing that he will return to the presidency next year.

The nationally televised display of bravado was remarkable even for a man known for his extreme self-confidence, obsession with his public image and virtually unquestioned control over Russia's most important institutions.

Putin announced last month that he will run for a third term as president in March elections, and his victory is seen as a certainty. He told the heads of Russia's three national television channels that the Soviet Union's Communist-era leaders were not physically capable and willing to run the country the way he does.

"I can't recall Soviet leadership after World War II who worked as hard," the former KGB colonel said. "They did not know what to do because of their physical capabilities or misunderstandings."

The channel heads took turns asking Putin a series of polite questions that ranged from deferential to obsequious. One of them compared Putin to a hawk — to which the prime minister replied with a condescending smile.

"A hawk is a good birdie," he said. "But I am against any cliches."

None of the interviews questioned Putin's favorable comparison of himself to the Soviet Union's post-WWII leaders.

Those leaders include Joseph Stalin, who turned most of Eastern Europe into a Communist bloc; Nikita Khrushchev, who provoked the Caribbean missile crisis, sent the first man in space and banged his shoe on the table in the United Nations promising to "bury" the Western world; and Mikhail Gorbachev, who started perestroika and the democratic changes that led — against his will — to the 1991 Soviet collapse.

Putin accused his Communist-era predecessors of making people feel unsafe and monopolizing ideological and economic power in ways that led to the collapse.

"This political force led the country to collapse and disintegration," he said. "People lost the sense of being protected."

During his two terms in 2000-2008, Putin put national television under Kremlin control and used it project the portrait of himself as a wise and robust leader who personally manages crises and keeps his fellow Russians safe. He also cultivated the image of a macho leader who can pilot fighter jets, ride a horse bare-chested and pet Siberian tigers.

Putin looked especially hawkish in comparison with his successor, the bookish Dmitry Medvedev, who appointed his mentor prime minister and was widely seen as a No. 2 leader during his four years in the Kremlin.

Medvedev said last month that he would not seek a second term. Putin is all but certain to serve a third presidential term that has been extended to six years from four, and he could stay in power until 2024.

Putin compared himself to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was elected U.S. president four times in the times of the Great Depression and World War II.

Roosevelt "acted effectively, and the number of terms or the years he spent in power did not matter," Putin said. "What does it mean? It means that when a country is in complicated, difficult conditions, on its way from a crisis, back to its feet, stability in politics is of extreme importance."

Putin's return to the presidency is likely to strengthen the "managed democracy" system he installed in his first stint as president. Under it, opposition parties face high obstacles to winning seats in parliament; of the four parties currently in parliament only the Communists, whose support is dwindling, act as a genuine opposition force.

Opposition groups' attempts to hold rallies are rarely approved by authorities and unsanctioned gatherings are quickly broken up by police. All major television channels are under state control and rarely present opposition views.

[Enigma11561 336]

Somebody really needs to put that guy away. where is Rambo when you need him? I shudder to think what is going to happen when the next election comes along.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Posts containing web content in violation of TOS removed

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/censorship-belarus-makes-certain-behaviors-illegal-000140852.html

Censorship: Belarus Makes Certain Web Behaviors Illegal

By Zoe Fox | Mashable – 15 hrs ago

A new law in Belarus will restrict access to foreign websites, and will require Internet cafes and clubs to report users who visit forbidden pages.

The Eastern European country's law (Improvements to the Usage of the National Segment of the Internet, law number 317-3), goes into effect Friday -- censorship making it illegal to conduct ecommerce with Belarusian citizens through sites outside the country's .by domain name.

All companies and individuals registered as entrepreneurs in Belarus must use the national portal for conducting business, providing services and exchanging email, explains the Library of Congress in an online post. That means citizens are restricted from buying from Amazon or the Apple Store, and selling on eBay, among many other sites.

The law's restrictions don't stop without banning "extremist" and "pornographic" sites.

Citizens caught breaking the new law -- as well as those providing Internet connection to people breaking the law -- can be punished with fines of up to 1 million Belarus rubles (about $125) by the tax authorities, police and secret police.

Both the U.S. and the UK have condemned President Alexander Lukashenko's repression of his political opponents, restricted travel to the country, and frozen assets channeled to the government, the BBC reports.

Do you think Belarus is helping its economy by keeping ecommerce on its own domain sites or is it hurting itself by restricting foreign business?

[eekee 182]

What is with the last line of the article? THAT is the question the "journalist" chose to end his article with?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

What is with the last line of the article? THAT is the question the "journalist" chose to end his article with?

I didn't get that one either. It's like the author was tripping on something.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/belarus-imposes-tough-internet-curbs-102118041.html

Belarus imposes tough new Internet curbs

By Valery Kalinovsky | AFP – 11 hrs ago

Ex-Soviet Belarus unveiled tough new Internet restrictions on Friday that limit public access to opposition websites and impose fines on providers for failing to monitor their clients.

The new rules also require all local Internet vendors to register with the authorities and imposes sanctions on those selling their goods in Belarus through foreign websites.

The restrictions came amid an expanding crackdown on the opposition by President Alexander Lukashenko and sparked confusion on the streets of the capital Minsk about what the new rules actually mean.

Lukashenko's administration said the law in no way limits people's access to foreign websites and is only meant to ensure "transparent" retail operations and help protect people from dangerous and pornographic sites.

"This does not limit citizens' use of Internet resources in any way. Their access to foreign websites is not being restricted," said a statement from Lukashenko's official information and analysis centre.

Officials said the restrictions would still allow foreign retailers such as Amazon to operate in Belarus without registering on the .by domain and would only impact domestic vendors who now use cheaper websites in Russia.

But opposition groups said the list of banned organisations deemed "extremist" includes leading human rights centres Vyasna (Spring) and Charter 97 -- both based abroad but freely accessible in Belarus.

The law bars state organisations and universities from opening such websites and forces cybercafes and restaurants with Internet access to store information about those who do access them for up to a year.

This rule also extends to home network providers and requires them to "record and store... personal data of Internet services users and information about the Internet services that have been provided".

"According to independent experts, the authorities' main goal is to control the main opposition websites," the Belarussky Partizan news site said.

The authoritarian Lukashenko has been ostracised by Western nations since rising to power in 1994 and attempting to recreate a Soviet-style command system under which all forms of dissent are condemned.

The wave of restrictions was extended last year following his controversial re-election and now includes a ban on people's right to stage any form of protest on the streets without permission from the authorities.

Belarus already ranks 154th out of 178 countries on a media freedoms list compiled in 2010 by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) watchdog and the new curbs left many asking how far they actually extend.

"We still have no official instructions about which sites we are supposed to be filtering and who makes the decisions about these things," a worker with the Beltelecom state Internet operator said on condition of anonymity.

Private cybercafe owners said the rules were likely to hurt their business because users will be especially careful about keeping their personal data private.

"If we really do have to start switching off sites, we are going to lose a lot of our clients," said a cafe owner who agreed to be identified as Alexander.

Both Vyasna and Charter 97 have been hounded by the authorities for years because of their calls for anti-Lukashenko rallies and detailed reports about those jailed by his regime.

Vyasna's founder Ales Beliatsky was jailed for four-and-a-half years on tax evasion charges in November.

Charter 97 said that hackers last week had accessed its editor's computer and used stolen passwords to create false stories and delete the organisation's archives.

RSF condemned the new measures as "a survival reflex on the part of a government weakened by the unrest that followed President Lukashenko's disputed re-election in December 2010."

[slim 1,523]

Wow! That's a big dude!

[eekee 182]

He's not THAT big. Medvedev is like, 5'2" or something.

[james&olya 1,121]

Wow! That's a big dude!

Medvedev makes anybody look big, even Putin!!