Russia: Gorbachev denounces 'attacks on citizens' rights'
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 7 March 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russia: Gorbachev denounces 'attacks on citizens' rights', 7 March 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/513dd1e2c.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
March 07, 2013
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has denounced recent laws passed in Russia as an "attack on citizens' rights."
In an interview with the BBC in Moscow, Gorbachev said he was "astonished" by the number of controversial laws passed in Russia since President Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin.
In the interview, Gorbachev calls on Putin "not to be afraid of his own people."
He also said Putin's inner circle is full of "thieves and corrupt officials."
He said that "if things don't change, Russia will continue to drift like a piece of ice in the Arctic Ocean."
In January, Human Rights Watch accused Putin of unleashing "the worst political crackdown in Russia's post-Soviet history" since returning to the Kremlin for a third term in May 2012.
Based on reporting by the BBC
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
