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Revision as of 03:24, 21 February 2007 by Vlad fedorov (talk | contribs) (→Critisism)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Putin's Russia is a book by Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. It tells about people's lives in Russia under President Vladimir Putin.
Contents
In the book Politkovskaya tells about transformation of Russia to police state under leadership of Vladimir Putin and suffering of ordinary people. She describes an army in which conscripts are tortured and hired out as slaves. She describes rampant corruption in the government and judiciary. She condemns routine kidnappings, murders, rape, and torture of people in Chechnya by Russian military, exemplified by Yuri Budanov. She describes hardship of people from the Provinces of Russua, such as Ural region and Kamchatka Peninsula and accounts of hostages from the Dubrovka theater. She accuses Vladimir Putin of stifling all civil liberties to establish Soviet-style dictatorship, but tells that "it is we who are responsible for Putin's policies" in the conclusion: "Society has shown limitless apathy... As the Chekists have become entrenched in power, we have let them see our fear, and thereby have only intensified their urge to treat us like cattle. The KGB respects only the strong. The weak it devours. We of all people ought to know that".
Critisism
Critics accused Anna Politkovskaya of being partisan by concentrating on the activities of Russian federal forces, but her supporters claim that she also strongly criticised the brutal tactics of the terrorists. She was also blamed for unwillingness to check facts before reporting them if she felt they furthered her cause.
According to journalist Anna Arutunyan, 'During a reporting trip in 2001, Politkovskaya was detained by military officials in the Chechen village of Hotuni. When she was released, she wrote that she had uncovered pits dug out in the ground where military officials would allegedly keep Chechen hostages for ransom, directly accusing General Baranov, then commander of the Chechen federal troops, of these crimes. The publication was followed by a criminal investigation based on the allegations, but a delegation of official human rights envoys was unable to find any such pits. At a later press conference in Moscow, Politikovskaya admitted that she had never actually seen the pits herself, but that witnesses related seeing them to her. In another account she had said the ransoms was $150, while in another - $500'.
External links
- Putin's Russia by Anna Politkovskaya on English PEN web site
- Reporting from the Russian Front, Review of the book by Martha Mercer, New York Sun
References
- Parfitt, Tom (2006-10-08). "Assassin's Bullet Kills Fiery Critic of Putin". The Observer. Retrieved 2006-10-09.
- ^ Anna Arutunyan Journalist Murder a Conundrum The Moscow News N39 2006
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