Russia's Crackdown on Dissent: A Pattern of Repression The Russian authorities' latest moves to silence critics and opposition figures have highlighted the country's slide into authoritarianism.
The detention of blogger Ilya Remeslo and the conviction of politician Boris Nadezhdin on trumped up charges are part of a broader pattern of repression that has forced most genuine opposition politicians either to flee or be silenced.
Remeslo, once a vocal supporter of Vladimir Putin, turned against him last March with a scathing blog post questioning the president's legitimacy and calling for his resignation.