New legislation before the Russian Duma would give the state power to label any of its critics a traitor.  The bill is backed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s ruling party and therefore seems nearly certain to pass in the nation which drifted to Democracy in Name Only status years ago  during Putin’s tenure as President.

Under the proposed law the Russian government would be given the power to expand the definition of treason to any act that damages the nation’s constitutional order, sovereignty or territorial integrity.  Previously, treason was strictly defined as passing information on to foreign entities.  The act of treason is punishable with up to 20 years in prison in the Russian Federation.

Speculation abounds that the government is pushing the new, repressive legislation now in order to head off protests stemming from the economic woes if global financial crisis.  Russia had been sitting pretty in the heady days of $140 per barrel oil.  But now with oil hovering just over $40 per barrel, and this even after the announcement of OPEC production cuts, the economic future of the Russian Petro-state looks much more uncertain. 

You can takepart by supporting Other Russia, a true pro-democracy movement founded by Chess Wizard Garry Kasparov which seeks to establish a real democracy in the Russian Federation.

LINKS:

AP: Russian treason bill could hit Kremlin critics

Kyiv Post: Russias response to crisis: Crackdown

Reuters: “Crisis” a word best spoken quietly in Russian