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Published in: oDRWhat would happen to Russia’s elections if the regional authorities stopped controlling them?
Russia's northern republic of Komi used to be known for its consistently high turnout on election day. But after a...
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Published in: oDRExperts for hire: how independent analysts create crimes for Russian law enforcement
Russian courts’ lack of independent expert evaluations isn’t a localised problem. It represents one of the most...
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Published in: oDRRussia’s new media law: expanding the field of uncertainty
Russia’s new legislation is not only aimed at foreign media. It’s another step in the process of blurring legal...
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Published in: oDRA hyperlink to absurdity
The implementation of the Kremlin’s law on “undesirable organisations” is reaching farcical proportions.
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Published in: oDRSacrificial roosters and offended feelings
What do a film about a Tsar’s mistress, Pussy Riot, the opera Tannhäuser, voodoo magic, and bloggers from Bryansk...
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Published in: oDRRussia’s elections that weren’t
Gubernatorial elections in several Russian regions could have been quite competitive. But with a presidential...
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Published in: oDRMoldova’s civil society braces for another attack
As democracy hollows out in Moldova, a new draft law on NGOs appears designed to keep civil society in check.
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Published in: oDRDissent in Russia: a festival of disobedience?
What kind of freedom do the latest wave of protesters want? Has a new kind of Russian emerged since the collapse of...
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Published in: oDRIn Russia, sociology isn’t just about figures
Is solidarity possible in Russia? How has the relationship between Russia’s government and its citizens panned out...
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Published in: oDRTurkey’s fight against Gülen in the South Caucasus
The Turkish authorities’ fight against real and imagined enemies in the Gülen movement has now reached Azerbaijan...
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Published in: oDRWalking free in Azerbaijan
It’s easy to celebrate when Azerbaijan’s political prisoners are released. But ensnared by public stigma and...
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Published in: oDRAnother Kyrgyz journalist accused of being an “enemy of the people”
Ulugbek Babakulov raised the problem of Kyrgyz nationalism online. And now, he’s being smeared publicly.
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Published in: oDR“Brothers, be careful. Don’t meet up in Grozny”
After fleeing Chechnya, four gay men spoke to me about bribery, secret meetings and their plans to return home when...
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Published in: oDR"I don't falsify elections and I don't spread propaganda. But I'm still a teacher, I exist"
As Russian law enforcement turns its steely eye to the country's classrooms, three schoolteachers share their...
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Published in: oDRRussia's latest protests are no child’s play
They’ve been dismissed as a “teenage rebellion”, but the protests that shook Russia recently reveal how the...
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Published in: oDRWe are not parasites: understanding Belarus’s protests
Thousands have taken to the streets across Belarus to protest a law penalising the unemployed. But there’s every...
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Published in: oDRIs election observing in Central Asia a lost cause?
Until Central Asia’s autocracies take their numerous commitments to democracy seriously, election observers can’t do...
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Published in: oDRRussia’s “managed thaw”
This week, two political prosecutions in Russia were quashed — to much applause. But it’s too early to talk about...
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Published in: oDRBeyond Bolotnaya: the future of Russia’s civil society
Russians are increasingly aware that, instead of waiting for the state’s good graces, they need to take some matters...
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Published in: oDRArmenia in the trap of “national unity”
In Armenia, calls to remain united in the face of external aggression are shutting down criticism and promoting...