From the MT:
“Russians Fined for Protest in
Support of Afghan Women”
Russia has fined two activists
for organizing a demonstration in support of Afghan women who face an uncertain
future after the Taliban returned to power in the country, a court said Friday.
The two activists, Artemy Pityukov and Ksenia Bezdenezhnykh, were fined 200,000
rubles ($2,670) each for "violating public order", a spokeswoman for
the Presnensky district court in Moscow told AFP. The
activists took part in a small-scale demonstration on Monday outside
Afghanistan's embassy in Moscow. They took turns holding up posters in a
"solitary picket" line, one of the last forms of protest in Russia
that do not need official authorization. Six activists were detained, according
to independent monitor OVD-Info. Another
"solitary picket" took place in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg
but without arrests. "Being a woman in Afghanistan is now deadly
dangerous," read one of the posters, according to images shared on social
media. Moscow has been cautiously
optimistic about the new government in Kabul after the Taliban swept to power
in Afghanistan in a military takeover earlier this month. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria
Zakharova said last week that the militant group – known for its severe
treatment of women – "is ready to take into account" women's rights. In
the past, the Taliban had prevented girls and women from attending school and
working jobs, and required them to be accompanied by a male chaperone. They
faced corporal punishment or even execution for violating the Taliban's laws.
^ Putin has to clamp down on any
demonstrations inside Russia (even if they are for something outside the
country) because he knows that ordinary Russians could easily start really
demonstrating against him. ^
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