Russian Democracy Has Disappeared?

-Clifford J. Levy,
New York Times
1. What is human rights? According to the author, identify human rights
issues the current political regime in Russia have violated.
Human Rights are
rights that are equal to all people in the world. Some human right issues that have
been going on are the elections that are not free and open to everyone. The
government does not allow for open elections to occur. Mikhail Beketov was beaten
up because he was writing about the government and how crooked they were. Now
he is in a wheelchair and is unable to even complete a sentence since his brain is
damaged.
2. Identify political corruption issues Mr. Levy identifies in Russia today.
Political corruption issues that Mr. Levy identified in the article in Russia today is
land deals, crooked loans, and under the table hush money.
3. How does Mr. Gorbachev, the previous Russian premier, feel about the
current leaders? Why does he feel this way?
He is critic of the Kremlin and
Putin is undermining Russias fledgling democracy by crippling opposition forces. He
feels this way because he thinks that the democracy is standing in Putins
way. He hand picked his successor and was then appointed Prime Minister of
Russia, after Medvedev won election by landslide numbers.
4. The caption for the picture on page one is titled, Batman and Robin.
Explain this caption.
Putin is really in charge (Batman) and his side kick (Robin) is
Medvedev. They both work together to get the job done but Putin is the one who
makes all the decisions.
5. According to the author and Mr. Gorbachev, democracy begins with:
Elections, accountability, and turnover.
6. In addition to the aspects of democracy identified above, which other
key ingredient is necessary for a democracy? According to the author, how
does Russia meet this ingredient? Back up your answer with facts.
Another key
ingredient that is necessary for a democracy is rule of law. Critics of the Kremlin
are routinely denied permission for the rallies, and the police detain anyone that
attends the unauthorized demonstrations. For this reason, people think that they
live in a police state.

7. Identify two cases the author identifies where the Russian government has
failed the democratic test.
First, in jury trials, judges almost always convict
but a jury of ordinary people was expected to be more fair. The jurors are
intimidated by the authorities, and when they acquit a defendant, their verdicts
are overturned. Second, lawmakers have been cutting back on the types of crimes
that qualify for a jury trial.
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