POLITICA DE RUSIA: Policía rusa detiene a más de 250 manifestantes en segundo día de disturbios tras elecciones

El gobierno desplegó unidades especiales del Ministerio del Interior en distintos puntos de Moscú, varios políticos opositores y activistas fueron arrestados.

 06/12/2011 - 17:01

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- Moscú tacha de inaceptables declaraciones de Clinton sobre comicios rusos

Por segundo día consecutivo la policía dispersó manifestaciones de opositores celebradas en Moscú y otras ciudades en protesta por las polémicas elecciones parlamentarias, rodeadas de numerosas denuncias de fraude.

Los efectivos detuvieron a más de 250 personas y muchos activistas denunciaron violencia y represión. En la capital fueron detenidos entre otros el ex viceprimer ministro Boris Nemzov y el político opositor Serguei Mitrojin del partido liberal Yabloko, así como periodistas y defensores de los derechos humanos. También en San Petersburgo se produjeron decenas de arrestos, según reportó el portal crítico del Kremlin kasparov.ru.

"El pueblo no cree a Putin", gritaban los manifestantes durante las protestas no autorizadas en la capital rusa, en las que el defensor de los derechos civiles Oleg Orlov acusó a la policía de actuar con violencia "desmedida".

El gobierno desplegó unidades especiales del Ministerio del Interior en lugares destacados de Moscú, como por ejemplo la Duma Estatal (Parlamento), mientras a varios activistas opositores se les impusieron arrestos de varios días por supuesta resistencia a la autoridad.

Entre otros fue condenado a 15 días de detención el bloguero Alexei Navalny, un abogado considerado posible candidato presidencial. Anche salieron a la calle más de 6.000 personas en una manifestación autorizada, al final de la cual se produjeron unas 300 detenciones.

El jefe del Kremlin, Dmitri Medvedev, rechazó las críticas a las elecciones, en las que el partido gobernante Rusia Unida resultó ganador. Durante una reunión con el presidente de la comisión electoral, Vladimir Churov, consideró que es competencia del gobierno ruso y no de observadores internacionales sacar conclusiones sobre posibles deficiencias registradas durante la cita ante las unas.

"Lo próximo que harán será decirnos cómo tiene que ser nuestra Constitución", dijo el presidente ruso.

En reacción a las protestas en las calles, el premier, Vladimir Putin, instó a Rusia Unida a abordar los problemas de la población y evitar las violaciones de los derechos humanos.

Según la agencia Interfax, Putin anunció una renovación del aparato de poder para después de las elecciones presidenciales del 4 de marzo, a las que se presenta como candidato. En el caso de una victoria, el político pretende intercambiar su puesto de primer ministro con Medvedev.

"Naturalmente habrá deliberaciones serias y profundas a la hora de formar gobierno", dijo Putin, quien pese a que es presidente de Rusia Unida no es miembro del partido. "Se debe reaccionar de la manera más rotunda contra todo lo que tenga que ver con la violación de los derechos de las personas", añadió el jefe de gobierno.

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Moscú tacha de inaceptables declaraciones de Clinton sobre comicios rusos

El Parlamento y la Comisión Electoral fustigaron a la secretaria de Estado de EEUU, quien dijo que las elecciones no fueron "ni libres ni justas".

06/12/2011

BUEN RESULTADO PARA PUTIN

En medio de los cuestionamientos externos y las protestas opositoras en Moscú, el primer ministro ruso, Vladimir Putin, afirmó hoy que la formación oficialista Rusia Unida (RU), que él lidera, obtuvo un "buen resultado en las actuales condiciones", en los comicios parlamentarios.

Habló de una "mayoría estable" y reconoció que hubo pérdidas, pero que "son inevitables para cualquier fuerza política, más aún para una que tiene durante varios años la responsabilidad por la situación en el país".

RU recibió casi 15 millones de votos menos que hace cuatro años, por lo que verá reducida en 77 diputados su representación parlamentaria, con la consiguiente pérdida de la mayoría constitucional de dos tercios. Para Putin su partido debe reaccionar con celeridad a los problemas de los ciudadanos y luchar contra la corrupción, sin hacer caso de los clichés.

"Se trata de clichés que no se refieren a un partido político concreto. Dicen que el partido en el poder es una formación vinculada al robo y la corrupción. ¿Y si recordamos quiénes estuvieron en el poder en tiempos soviéticos? A todos ellos los llamaban ladrones y corruptos", dijo.

Las oposición radical ha bautizado Rusia Unida como el "partido de sinvergüenzas y ladrones", término que ha calado en otros sectores opositores, que han sido unánimes en denunciar graves irregularidades en los comicios.

Rusia fustigó hoy y calificó de inaceptables las declaraciones de la secretaria de Estado de EEUU, Hillary Clinton, quien dijo que las elecciones parlamentarias rusas del domingo no fueron "ni libres ni justas".

"Las declaraciones de Clinton son absolutamente inaceptables. Tales conclusiones (sobre fraude electoral) no las hubo ni de cerca en los informes de los observadores internacionales", dijo Konstantin Kosachov, jefe del comité de Relaciones Exteriores de la Duma, citado por la agencia Interfax.

A juicio de Kosachov "esta es una de las páginas más negras en la historia de las relaciones ruso-estadounidenses a lo largo de los últimos años que transcurrieron en el clima del reinicio".

Por su parte, Nikolai Konkin, secretario de la Comisión Electoral Central (CEC) de Rusia, recurrió a la ironía al aconsejarle a Clinton que se dedique a las próximas elecciones en EEUU. Mejor que Clinton se centre en sus elecciones", dijo el funcionario ruso.

Pese a los argumentos de los rusos, la misión de observadores internacionales de la OSCE y la Asamblea Parlamentaria del Consejo de Europa (PACE) denunció ayer numerosas irregularidades durante el escrutinio de las elecciones parlamentarias en Rusia.

"La calidad del proceso electoral se deterioró considerablemente durante el escrutinio, que se caracterizó por frecuentes violaciones de procedimiento y casos de aparente manipulación, incluidos indicios graves de introducción masiva de papeletas en las urnas", señala el informe de los observadores internacionales.

En opinión de Clinton, que participó hoy en la reunión de la OSCE en Lituania, "las elecciones que no son ni libres ni justas" menoscaban la confianza de la ciudadanía en sus instituciones.

LATIN AMERICAN REPORT: Hugo Chavez touts new Latin American, Caribbean bloc ahead of summit in Venezuela

Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff, left, looks at Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez …

CARACAS, Venezuela - What if they threw a giant party for the Americas and didn't invite the United States or Canada? That's what Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is doing with a two-day, 33-nation summit starting Friday, welcoming nations from Brazil to Jamaica in what he hopes will be a grand alliance to counter U.S. influence.

Many presidents have less sweeping goals in mind, seeing the new Community of Latin American and Caribbean States mainly as a forum for resolving regional conflicts, building closer ties and promoting economic development.

Yet the bloc's creation is also a sign that for many countries, the United States is no longer seen as an essential diplomatic player in regional affairs.

"The U.S. has lost an awful lot of space in the region, even though it's still the most important, the most powerful country in the region," said Eduardo Gamarra, a Latin American politics professor at Florida International University in Miami. Still, he said, it's unclear whether the region's governments are truly committed to forming a close alliance that brings together Latin America in ways that offset U.S. power.

Chavez, who sells the largest share of Venezuela's oil to the United States, is urging the region to assert its independence, noting it was once a dream of 19th century independence hero Simon Bolivar to unify Latin American nations. Lampposts in Caracas are now festooned with banners picturing independence leaders ranging from Bolivar to Cuba's Jose Marti, along with the slogan "the path of our Liberators."

At least publicly, though, only some of Chavez's closest allies seem to share his interests in creating alternatives to established bodies such as the Washington-based Organization of American States, which includes every nation in the Americas except Cuba among its active members.

Nor are the region's leaders likely to agree with Chavez in creating organizations to replace those he strongly criticizes, such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the World Bank.

The new group, known by its Spanish initials CELAC, will add one more acronym to a region with plenty of smaller organizations, including Unasur, Mercosur and the Caribbean Community. Some of Chavez's most fervent support comes from within the nine-nation, socialist-leaning Bolivarian Alternative bloc known as ALBA, which he has promoted with allies including Cuba and Nicaragua.

"This isn't aimed at becoming a new economic integration bloc nor replacing the OAS," said Maria Teresa Romero, an international studies professor at the Central University of Venezuela.

"President Chavez and others in the ALBA are using the CELAC for their political and propagandistic aims," Romero said. For Chavez, she said, it's a chance to show the outside world and Venezuelans "that he still has great international leadership" even though his influence has slipped in the past several years.

The summit's agenda as described by diplomats includes rather modest aims: approving the group's procedural rules as well as a clause dealing with democratic norms, formally launching the organization and adopting a declaration of shared principles.

At the very least, the summit will serve as Chavez's international debut after months of cancer treatment that forced him to postpone the meeting, which originally was planned in July. Many presidents, including those who differ with him, are on a personal level showing solidarity with Chavez and the cancer struggle that has left his head shaved to a fine stubble after chemotherapy.

Many presidents say the inclusion of every nation in Latin America and the Caribbean is indeed historic. Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman called it a step toward unifying "a region that had been divided."

Cuba, for instance, was long suspended from the OAS, and when in 2009 the body voted to lift the suspension, President Raul Castro's communist government rejected the offer while accusing the OAS of supporting U.S. hostility toward Cuba.

Now, Cuba says the new bloc is a sign of the region's independence, a stance echoed by Chavez.

"The CELAC is being born with a new spirit," Chavez said Thursday. "As the years pass, the CELAC will leave behind the old and worn out OAS."

Chavez met separately with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff ahead of the summit.

In Washington, OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza praised the creation of the new group, saying in a statement that he believes it will be a useful forum and that he will make contact once it is formed to discuss co-operation possibilities.

Neda Brown, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman in Washington, said there are other groups in the region that don't include the U.S. and that they "can be useful partners." She said the U.S. interacts with such groups "as an important part of helping to constructively solve problems and engage with key actors in the region."

Plans for the new organization, which grew out of the 24-nation Rio Group, have been in the works since a 2008 summit hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Brazil, as Latin America's largest nation, will play a key role in setting the group's objectives.

Brazil's delegation is primarily concerned with examining a regional response to the global financial crisis. The region has so far weathered the turbulence better than the U.S. or Europe, recording economic growth of more than 5 per cent last year, and leaders are looking for ways to further strengthen economies by encouraging local industries and reducing imports from outside the region.

The U.S. remains the top trading partner of many countries in the region, with exceptions including Brazil and Chile, where China has become the biggest trading partner. China has also made diplomatic inroads, including by granting about $38 billion in loans to Venezuela in exchange for increasing shipments of oil.

Brazil has joined Chavez in promoting a new Bank of the South to pool funds for development financing. But that doesn't mean nations are ready to abandon the World Bank.

Mexico's undersecretary for Latin America, Ruben Beltran Guerrero, told The Associated Press that the new bloc "isn't a forum that excludes any other," but rather will complement established organizations.

Mexico and other countries also view it as a body that will, similarly to the OAS, stand up for democratic principles in a region that has seen its share of coups, most recently in Honduras in 2009. Beltran said Mexico wants the bloc to "send a very clear signal to the countries of the region that a breakdown in constitutional order brings consequences."

Chile is to assume the rotating presidency in the group's inaugural year, and its mission will include "promoting human rights and democracy," said Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno. It will also be a forum for discussing issues ranging from counter-drug efforts to improving transportation routes, Moreno told in an email.

On a practical level, though, some analysts say the fledgling group will face many constraints.

"It's going to be underfunded. It's not going to have any enforcement mechanisms. At least that's been the history of what we've done with these multilateral organizations," Gamarra said.

He cited the example of Unasur, saying that since its 2008 founding the South American bloc has had little clout.

Chavez, in typical style, has been playing up the gathering for months. He at one point called it "the political event of the greatest importance ... in 100 years."

CANADIAN POLITICS AND LEGISLATION: Police chief says Tory omnibus crime bill needs to be part of balanced approach

December 5, 2011

Dale McFee, President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, answers questions today.

OTTAWA - An omnibus crime bill set to pass in the House of Commons today needs to be balanced by crime-prevention efforts, says the head of a major police organization.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police supports the Conservatives' multi-part bill because it deals with serious crimes, said the association's president, Chief Dale McFee.

Among other things, the bill increases penalties for sexual offences against children and ends the use of house arrest for violent crimes.

"The reality is we're not going to arrest our way out of our troubles but we're not going to stop arresting," he told a news conference.

"When we're dealing with serious crime, there's quite frankly some people that need to go to jail but there's also a lot of people that early intervention and prevention will go a long ways and save lots of money and obviously be more efficient in achieving the results at that end.

"And I think, unless we do both, quite frankly, we're missing a piece."

McFee says he hopes to speak with the government about the prevention piece going forward.

The Safe Streets and Communities Act bundles together nine different bills into one sweeping piece of legislation that's been one of the more controversial pieces of the fall parliamentary session.

The Conservatives say they were handed a mandate to make Canada safer, yet the crime rate in the country is at record-low levels and a Statistics Canada study released last week says the vast majority of Canadians — 93 per cent — feel safe from crime.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Bar Association has suggested the bill is a waste of taxpayers' money that will result in bulging prisons and overload an already-heated justice system.

The provinces aren't unanimous. Quebec and Ontario are upset about the cost of implementing the new changes, while Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick and British Columbia say the changes are needed.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said he and his department continue to meet with their provincial counterparts to discuss the impact of the legislation.

"I think that’s important to get their input on — on all these initiatives and the initiatives that we’ll take forward," he said at a morning news conference.

Some victims'-rights advocates are also applauding the bill.

"We already carry a life sentence on our backs, handed to us without the privilege of neither judge nor jury," said Elizabeth Pousoulidis, president of a Quebec victims' group, who appeared with the justice minister.

"We encourage our Government of Canada, we encourage our country to continue being tough on crimes and putting the safety of its citizens, of us all, in equal importance as the right of criminals."

Opposition parties say the crime bill has been fast-tracked without proper study, and attempted to introduce 88 amendments last week. All were voted down.

Then the Conservatives were accused of being asleep at the switch, trying at the last minute to get their own amendments into the bill after rejecting similar changes at committee.

The Speaker ruled them out of order, leaving it up to the Senate to make any further changes.

Liberal MP Mark Garneau said the imminent passage of the bill marks a bad day for Canada.

"Crime bill represents the triumph of the politics of fear over intelligent and enlightened policy to reduce crime," he said on Twitter.

Nicholson said the time for talk is over.

He said the justice committee heard from over 50 witnesses and, given that some of the bills contained in the legislation have been introduced multiple times, they've been subjected to ample study.

"The time for action is now," Nicholson said. "Canadians have given us a strong mandate to build a strong, safer Canada."

The election that resulted in the Conservatives' majority was triggered by their last attempt to introduce omnibus crime legislation.

The Tories had delayed releasing the total cost of that bill, for which the Speaker found them in contempt of Parliament, setting the stage for the non-confidence motion which toppled their minority government.



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