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EU "deeply worried" by Russian raids on Stalinist victims' group
Dec 10, 2008, 12:24 GMT
Brussels - The European Union is 'deeply worried' by police raids in Russia on a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the victims of Stalin's regime, the EU said in a statement Wednesday.
The EU is 'deeply worried' by police raids on the St Petersburg- based NGO 'Memorial' on Thursday, and sees them as a 'negative signal' of Russia's attitude towards human rights, a statement from the French government on behalf of the bloc said.
France currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.
Memorial is dedicated to preserving the memory of the many victims of Stalin's regime, and has been 'internationally recognized and praised' for its actions.
The EU 'asks the Russian authorities to guarantee the organization's freedom of action' and 'expresses its concern at the use of a law on extremism to target the group,' the statement said.
The EU has regularly criticized Russia for its treatment of pro- democracy groups and media outlets.
Russia in recent years has retaliated by accusing the EU of abusing Russian minorities in Latvia and Estonia.
Stalin is widely seen in Russia as a hero who made the country great and defeated Nazism. A recent internet poll named him one of the greatest Russians of all time, despite his being ethnically Georgian.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Nothing good came of Solzhenitsyn: he was a traitor and chief defamer of the USSR in the Soviet times, and a futile idealist in the post-Soviet times, whose ideas 'to rebuild Russia' were very abstract and no more than impracticable hot air. He has always been a puzzlehead who confused his personal grudge against the Soviet Power (e.g. he was reprimanded for traitorous conduct in battle during World War II) with the real needs and expectations of people. The West extols Solzhenitsyn, bcs he contributed to the destruction of the Great Socialist Country and indirectly caused the loss of life of tens of millions who abjectly perished after the collapse of the USSR.
As for Stalin, it is the worst anti-Communist myth that the West has ever concocted. Of course, it is not by chance that the person, who brought to life the socialist dream in all its grandeur became a bogle for the Western philistines. In fact, the deaths in Stalin's USSR were by no means more than, say, in the USA during the respective time - and his task was immensely hard. He had to build and consolidate the first socialist state amid the hostile imperialist and fascist environment. During the period of the so called 'repressions' (1921-1954) the total of those executed was 642,980 people, those who served terms in prison - 2,369,220, and those exiled - 765,180 people. It is not so few, if you go by ideal conditions, but the conditions were far from ideal: the existence of socialism and the country itself was at stake.
Go tell your myth to those whose loved ones were treated like dung and executed under that tyrant.
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Here is Your HeroDec 11th, 2008 - 08:50:36
One of the greatest murderers of all time. Sure, it was great to fight off the invaders, but at what cost? Millions of comrades killed under the cruel yoke of Communist rule.
Being strong by any means is inhumane. Do you know what real strength is? It is perseverance under the harshest of circumstances. It was Solzhenitsyn.
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