Mick Hartley

Freedom House:

In response to Russian police arresting hundreds of people in anti-corruption protests across the country on March 26, including the largest demonstration in Moscow in five years, Freedom House issued the following statement:
 
“The protests targeted corruption that has mushroomed under the authoritarianism of President Putin and his government, which showed their intolerance of dissent by declaring the protests illegal,” said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House. “Russia under Putin has created the template for modern dictatorships by taking control of the media and demonizing the independent voices that remain, treating civil society as a threat to the state, and trying to suppress the fundamental right to speak freely and to protest without fear of arrest. Putin’s would-be admirers and apologists should recognize him as a model of authoritarianism and a grave threat to fundamental freedoms.”