In Russia, where there have been many outbreaks of protest since Vladimir Putin and his cronies stole won another election, the fine for protesting without a permit has been increased 15,000 percent to 300,000 Rubles. The 2010 average wage was 21,192 Rubles/month. How very Quebec-eqsue.

  • Paul Renault

    US$278.91.  Still less than Bill 78′s fines.

    • Antinous / Moderator

      Until you compare median wages in Canada and Russia.

    • Zhiva

      How did you manage to divide 300 000 by 32.1922 and get 278.91?

      • Paul Renault

        You know what, I have no idea. 

        I must have been in a lack-of-sleep-induced haze for the last two weeks. 

        Yikes:  300K rubles = 9,223 USD.

  • awjt

    oh, something like this will happen inthe US before long, Constitution be damned.

    • austinhamman

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_speech_zone its oddly orwellian
      then there is H.R. 347 which prevents protesting near any building where the president or member of the government will be, or near any event deemed by the government to not allow protest.
      i expect permits to protest will come soon enough, or maybe there will be one free speech zone in all of america.

  • http://twitter.com/alokpi Alok Prasanna Kumar

    The headline says 150,000 percent, the body says 15,000 percent but since the article says 150 fold, i’m thinking the latter figure is correct. 
    Also it is USD 9000 approx RUB 300000 not RUB 9000 as mentioned in the article.

  • http://twitter.com/BinaryRecoil Zachery

    wow… almost a $10,000.00 fine eh? Wonder what Putin would do if he found his wife or children supporting the United Nations Bill of Human Rights? 

    • Antinous / Moderator

      Have them killed. What kind of weakling do you take him for?

  • http://www.facebook.com/TimeNinja Richard Colletta

    Does it surprise anyone that Russia (along with China) has opposed and voted against any action in Syria when the Russian government is selling weapons to the Syrian government by the boatloads?  Russia is complicit in the massacre of the Syrian people and should be held accountable.

  • http://www.facebook.com/komisemenov Alex Semenale Semenov

    O-o-w-w! Canada=Russia!

  • BombBlastLightingWaltz

    The cross lining words with the opposition word following, feels so brainwashey, as, *crossline* insightful. It detracts, IMO, instead of amplify. 

  • ventopiumoso

    It’s shame, but it’s like in Canada. In this case, what difference. Again, the huge number of detentions and arrests. Till example, over 2500 in Canada since the unrest (in the same period in Russia they were stopped 400) and 700 in one day alone, 15% of the protesters at that time, 4 days after approval the norm. I don’t mean that Canada is worse than Russia (come on, not joke), but we all must understand that there are no good powers, and our “wonderful” West is so long as it can rob and kill the rest of the world.

  • http://www.facebook.com/TimeNinja Richard Colletta

    I’m all for dissenting opinions and debate but if you think voter suppression doesn’t exist on a widespread scale in Russia, you’re only lying to yourself.  That’s like saying everyone is happy in China…which is actually what their Ministry of “Truth” demands Chinese citizens believe.  If everyone is so happy over there why does China have to censor reports that say they aren’t?  Same principle with Russia.