Тем не менее, на днях двое наших коллег отправились в центр Москвы, чтобы протестировать новые модели смартфонов Samsung для оценки качества фото/видеосъёмки. Мы планировали опубликовать результаты испытаний в августе. Однако то, чему стали свидетелями наши коллеги, перечеркнуло все их планы.
Редакторы увидели жуткие сцены беспрецедентно жестокого подавления массовых протестов в центре столицы России, чего на их памяти никогда не было.
27 июля тысячи граждан (по предварительным оценкам, примерно 22-25 тысяч) вышли на центральные улицы и площади города, чтобы выразить своё возмущение недопуском независимых кандидатов в депутаты Мосгордумы. Несмотря на собранные подписи в их поддержку, власти демонстративно отказали им в регистрации, ссылаясь якобы на "неточно заполненные данные", и "фальшивые подписи". Но, как выяснилось, фальсификации совершили члены избиркомов, ошибочно (или намеренно) исказившие адреса подписантов за кандидатов. Кроме того, имеются все основания подозревать провокационные действия так называемых "почерковедов" из МВД, забраковавших массу подписей москвичей, которые реально отдали голоса за своих выдвиженцев. Получилось, что люди, оставившие собственные паспортные данные и подписи, просто перестали существовать как избиратели.
Такой откровенной наглости ешё никогда не наблюдалось. Да, раньше были так называемые "карусели", вбросы и фальсификации в ходе подсчёта голосов. Но всё это, по-возможности, старались делать украдкой, опасаясь огласки.
Теперь же маски сброшены окончательно и власть показало своё мурло, что называется, "во всей красе". Нет больше ни стыда, ни совести, ни чести. Выборы превратились в абсолютный фарс, и, похоже, дело идёт к тому, что их вообще отменят за "ненадобностью".
Путин в тот же день погружался в батискафе под воду, подальше от земных забот. Северная Корея передаёт России пламенный привет...
The staff of the Samsung World editorial staff witnessed the facts of mass terror in the capital of Russia
As we already reported, before the beginning of August, the staff of the editorial staff of the Samsung World blog are on vacation, so the publications during July were rare. Nevertheless, the other day, two of our colleagues went to the center of Moscow to test a couple of new Samsung smartphones to assess the quality of photo/video. We planned to publish the results of these tests in August. However, what our colleagues witnessed, crossed out all their plans.
Police in Moscow have detained more than 1,000 people at a rally, in one of the biggest crackdowns in years.
Demonstrators were dragged away from the city hall as security forces used batons against the crowd.
People were protesting against the exclusion of opposition candidates from local polls. The opposition say they were barred for political reasons.
Some of the candidates banned from standing in the 8 September election had been detained earlier.
Officials disqualified about 30 people, saying they had failed to collect enough valid signatures to stand.
At least 1,074 arrests were made at the banned rally, officials say, while monitors reported 1,400 detentions.
Moscow's Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, has called the demonstration a "security threat", and promised to maintain public order.
Anger is widespread among opposition supporters at the way the city is run and the ruling United Russia party.
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, was jailed for 30 days on Wednesday after calling for Saturday's unapproved demonstration.
Mr Putin was on a trip to the Baltic Sea on Saturday for a dive in a submersible. "There are a lot of problems on Earth, so to diminish their amount one has to go up and deep down," he remarked.
Independent candidates urged Russians to keep up the fight, saying the country's future trajectory was at stake.
“We are no longer talking about our mandates,” said would-be candidate Dmitry Gudkov.
“If we lose now, elections will cease to exist as a political instrument and the repressive machine will push the country towards 1937,” Gudkov added, referring to the peak of Stalin's Great Terror.
Over the past 20 years Putin has muzzled independent media and left opposition parties without representation in parliament.
Navalny was not allowed to run against Putin in a 2018 poll because of a conviction in a fraud case which has been viewed as punishment for his activism.
Local polls have been seen as the only legal opportunity for opposition politicians to have a say in Russia's political life.
While pro-Kremlin candidates enjoyed the support of the state, independent candidates say they have been made to jump through countless hoops in order to get on the ballot.
Each conducted a genuine campaign and collected roughly 5,000 signatures from supporters.
Authorities still refused to register them, accusing them of faking some of the signatures ― including those of prominent people and their own relatives.
Navalny ally Lyubov Sobol launched a hunger strike in protest.
On Thursday, the 31-year-old demanded officials review her documents and threatened to continue her strike at the offices of the Moscow election commission.
Instead, she was carried out of the building ― atop a couch. Officials later said they had to take the couch out to get rid of bedbugs.
Critics say that instead of probing authorities for violating election legislation, investigators launched a probe into obstructing the work of election officials.
For that offence protest organisers risk up to five years in prison.
'Absurdities become norm'
Vedomosti said that Moscow was beginning to look like an Orwellian dystopia.
Officials seek to convince people of the “honesty of their lies,” the daily said.
“Over the past days the absurdities have become the norm.”
Nearly 11,000 people indicated interest in the rally on Facebook.
Police asked media to notify the authorities if they planned to cover the protest and urged Russians to skip the rally altogether.
Viktoria Popova, a 30-year-old illustrator, said she could not miss the protest.
“It is impossible not to come, it's impossible to feel powerless, unable to change anything,” she told AFP.
“Who would have thought it would become important to take part in such a bizarre and boring affair as the Moscow parliament election?” ― AFP
