Thread by @LookNoFurther4

1 This is Alexey Navalny. Navalny has been the leading anti-Putin opposition leader in #Russia for several years. In Moscow, Navalny heads an organization titled the "Anti-Corruption Foundation."
[mltya aleshkovskiy]

2 On Tuesday, Russian authorities emptied and froze Navalny's bank accounts. They also emptied and froze the bank accounts of his family members.
[evgeny feldman]

3 Russian authorities launched a money-laundering investigation into Navalny and his organization a few months ago. Navalny says the investigation is bogus and designed to curb his anti-#Putin political activities.

4 Navalny says the bank account freezes are related to this bogus investigation. #Navalny filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights today, alleging the investigation is an attempt to shut down his political activities.
[feldman]

5 In September, Russian law enforcement authorities carried out mass raids on the homes and offices of Navalny’s supporters over the case. In December, authorities raided his Moscow headquarters, dragging Navalny out by force and confiscating equipment.
[copper kettle]

6 Russia’s Justice Ministry in Oct labeled Navalny’s anti-corruption group a foreign agent; now it can be subjected to spot checks & face bureaucratic scrutiny. Navalny was barred from running for pres in 2018 b/c of a past conviction on charges he has called bogus.

[putnik]

7 Boris Nemtsov was the leading anti-Putin leader in Russia prior to Navalny. Nemtsov was killed while walking across the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge in Moscow with his girlfriend. This public assassination was a message killing. But Navalny picked up the reins of leadership.

8 So why do I follow this story when no one else (certainly not the MSM) finds it important? There are 2 reasons: First, the US once took a leadership role in publicly supporting bona fide opposition political leaders in Russia. Do you remember the #MagnitskyAct?
#Magnitsky

9 In 2009, Magnitsky died in a Moscow prison, likely having been beaten to death, after investigating a $230 million fraud involving Russian tax officials. Magnitsky was falsely accused of committing the fraud himself. The US enacted this law in 2012 to punish Russia 4 his death.

10 Nemtsov was killed in 2015.The House of Reps passed a series of bills in 2019 to condemn Putin/Russia for their roles in covering up Nemtsov's killing.Those bills went nowhere.The 5th anniversary of the Nemtsov killing was a few days ago.The US just sent flowers to the bridge.

11 Obama and others have called for a complete investigation into Nemtsov's killing, but it hasn't happened. Two Russians purportedly "confessed" to the killing and the case was closed. Navalny has led large protest marches on the anniversaries of Nemtsov's killing.
[krassotkin]

12 The second reason for following Navalny and the Russian opposition movement is that it shows what happens when the rule of law is bent to punish political opposition. Putin is an authoritarian. Trump admires him and has authoritarian tendencies. Trump has made huge strides..

13 ...in using the DOJ to punish his perceived enemies. AG Barr has proven to be a willing accomplice in subverting justice in order to silence Trump's critics. Judge Walton's statement last evening, calling Barr's handling of the #Mueller report "calculated" and "misleading,"

14 ...is only the latest in a series of DOJ actions meant to silence Trump's critics. The DOJ is no longer a trustworthy advocate for the rule of law. We are all in peril when the whims of Trump dictate the role of law enforcement officers. While many voices who warned of this..

15 ...were criticized/ridiculed in 2016, look at where we now find ourselves. So I watch what happens in Russia, and fear that, with each passing day, our justice system moves closer to theirs.

Even John Mitchell would shake his head.

16. An update... On Tuesday, Putin announced that Russia will hold an "all-people vote" to ratify constitutional changes that grant Putin more presidential powers and overturn term limits that would have barred him from seeking reelection when his current term expires in 2024.

17. These changes were approved by the Russian parliament early last week and Putin signed then into law last Saturday. The "all-people vote" has been ridiculed by leading opposition figure, Alexey Navalny, whom I decribe in this thread, above.
[putnik]

18. Navalny said this: “Against the background of the pandemic, Putin’s decision seems criminal." Experts view the people's vote as a Soviet-style sham. Among the changes to be rubber-stamped in this vote are laws against same-sex marriage, an affirmation in a belief in God,

19...as a Russian tradition, and provisions heralding the supremacy of Russian law over international laws. Close Russia observers have noted Putin's gradual cozying up to Russian Orthodoxy and view it as an insincere effort to curry favor with the elderly.

20. So why is this important? In a thread yesterday, I warned that Trump was likely to use the chaos of #COVID19 as cover to implement "wish list" policies that skirt the law or violate social norms. His new border closure policies are a prime example. There will be more.

21. This is what Putin is doing with this sham election. Navalny was right in calling him out on it. But Trump will attempt to follow Putin's example. We should be concerned that Trump has now taken to calling himself a "wartime president." He will use this moniker to help

22. himself and to advance policies that he thinks strengthen his reelection chances. There will be no other considerations.

23. Update on Alexei Navalny... Navalny, who organized an anti-Putin street demonstration in Moscow last summer that drew 60,000 people, canceled plans for large street demonstrations this weekend in Moscow and St. Petersburg, citing fears of covid19. Small demonstrations

24. in other Russian cities were slated to go forward, w/social distancing measures in place. Navalny and other anti-Putin activists are being stymied by the virus; and their voices opposing the planned public vote on the constitutional changes noted above, which strengthen

25. Putin's grip on power, are being muted when they are most needed. Putin will now be able to claim that there was little active opposition to these new powers. There are reports today that tell of Putin's campaign disinfo to Russian voters, where differing messages are being

26. put out to different groups of the electorate. Old people get one message; young people get another message; religious types get another message...Each message tailor-made to push those peoples' buttons and get them to vote in favor of the new powers Putin seeks.

27. There is a report today that Ohio is considering prohibiting abortions during the covid19 pandemic. Last night we heard about the DOJ seeking to set aside constitutional protections for those charged with a crime. Connect all of this together...

28. Using the "cover" of a public health crisis, autocrats are invoking illegal powers and instituting public policy changes that they had previously only dreamed of enacting. And those who oppose these new powers and changes will be labeled as a threat to public health.

29. We got the "surveillance state" and enhanced interrogation, etc., after 9/11 because the govt said these measures were necessary to protect public safety. Here comes round #2: new restrictions and reductions in civil liberties in order to protect public health.

30. Once our civil liberties are taken, it is really hard to get them back. These rights are taken away slowly, with soothing "it is good for you" reassurance. It becomes an insideous slide downwards and, while we are isolated, we are unable to mount strong objections.