Russian parliament oks heavy fines for protesters, putin giveskremlin jobs to ex-ministers

 Russian parliament oks heavy fines for protesters, putin giveskremlin jobs to ex-ministers

 

Business,Business News,Business Opportunities MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin targeted those who dare oppose himTuesday, introducing draconian new fines for protesters and handingout Kremlin jobs to widely detested lieutenants despite the publicanger they have generated. A new law introducing a 200-fold increase in fines for taking partin unsanctioned protests was given preliminary approval by theKremlin-controlled lower house, setting the stage for tougheningPutin's crackdown on dissent. Opposition lawmakers denounced the new fines as an attempt tostifle criticism, warning that it would fuel broad outrage anddestabilize Russia by depriving the public of a way to expressdiscontent. Some warned that it may stop the middle class fromprotesting in Moscow but would fail to stem likely outbursts ofanger against a series of planned reforms that would hike energyprices and cut social benefits. 




Sergei Mironov, the leader of the opposition Just Russia party,said his faction was boycotting the hearings of the "odious" billintended to "shut the people's mouth." Police on Tuesday quickly rounded up several members of the liberalYabloko party who attempted to protest the new bill outsideparliament. Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin told reporters beforebeing detained by police that the law was intended to intimidatethe opposition. "A direct signal is being made by those in power: Sit down and keepquiet!" Mitrokhin said. The lower house, dominated by Putin's United Russia party, voted236-207 with one abstention to approve the bill in the first ofthree required readings. Putin has toughened his stance against the opposition since winninga third term in March's election, rejecting a dialogue with itsleaders and stonewalling their demands. 




Last week he gave a seniorgovernment job to a tank factory worker who had offered to come toMoscow with colleagues to help police break up anti-governmentprotests. Putin named his new Cabinet on Monday, retaining some key figuresbut dropping some of the most widely detested ministers, includingInterior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev, Health Minister TatyanaGolikova and Education Minister Andrei Fursenko. But that didn't mean Nurgaliyev was out of work. Showing hiscontempt for opposition criticism, Putin appointed Nurgaliyev as anundersecretary to the Presidential Security Council and namedseveral other former ministers as presidential advisers. Nurgaliyev has faced massive public outrage over widespread tortureand other abuses by police, while Golikova and Fursenko have beenlinked to the worsening state of the nation's health care andeducation systems. 




Another longtime Putin aide, former Deputy Prime Minister IgorSechin, was put in charge of Russia's largest oil company, thestate-controlled Rosneft, while Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gotthe same job in the Kremlin. Putin's fellow KGB veterans SergeiIvanov and Nikolai Patrushev were respectively re-appointed as theKremlin chief of staff and the head of the presidential SecurityCouncil. Putin's re-election bid was challenged by massive demonstrationsagainst his rule that drew up to 100,000 people in Moscow, but theprotests have abated after the vote and the Kremlin has taken aharsher attitude toward political foes. A demonstration of at least 20,000 people the day before Putin'sMay 7 inauguration turned into a fierce battle with police aftersome protesters tried to march on the Kremlin. 




Scores were injuredin clashes and hundreds were detained as police chased oppositionmembers around the Russian capital. Putin's opponents sought to maintain momentum by holding a seriesof protests in downtown Moscow, but police quickly dispersed them. In a move to rein in the opposition, the new bill raises fines forjoining unsanctioned rallies from a maximum of 5,000 rubles ($160)now to 1,000,000 rubles ($32,250). Its authors also suggested introducing a punishment for any masspublic gathering even if it lacks the formal signs of a politicalprotest. That was a clear response to the creative newdemonstrations popping up in Moscow, where participants leave theirslogans and posters at home and walk silently so their actionsdon't formally count as rallies. 




One of the bill's authors, Alexander Sidyakin, said protestorganizers should also be sentenced to public service. "They shouldbe given brooms to clean the mess left after their violations," hesaid. Communist lawmaker Valentin Romanov said during the debate inparliament that the Kremlin wants new sanctions against protestersin anticipation of anger against upcoming unpopular social reforms. "It's a pre-emptive move preceding a rise in social protests acrossthe country," he said. Due to term limits, Putin spent four years in the premier's seatafter already serving two consecutive terms as president from 2000to 2008. 




Despite the title change he remained Russia's No. 1 leaderall along. His protege, Dmitry Medvedev, stepped down to allowPutin to reclaim the presidency, receiving the premiership inexchange. Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, speaking on Rossiya 24television, described the former ministers given new jobs Tuesdayin the Kremlin as the real Russian government, dismissingMedvedev's Cabinet as a decorative one. I am Used Computers & Accessories writer, reports some information about kids motorcycle helmets , motorcycle helmet kids.

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