The two-year prison sentence for the punk band Pussy Riot is a further attempt by Vladimir Putin to secure his grip on power, writes the liberal daily Irish Examiner: "Vladimir Putin sent three young women to jail for two years for staging a protest against him in a church, an act the judge called "blasphemous". It is hard to believe that Putin's power base is built on the remnants of the Soviet Communist Party, one of the most active, determined, and cold-blooded oppressors of religions in modern times. An organisation whose blasphemous behaviour was unparalleled. But then, clinging to power is and  always has been the main concern of a dictator and his supporters. Pussy Riot was found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, which allegedly offended followers of the Russian Orthodox faith. This may be true, but the response of the Russian authorities seems completely disproportionate." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Human rights, » Russia

The supporters of the band Pussy Riot belong to a minority in Russia, as Vladimir Putin's policies have brought about a paralysis in Russian civil society, the left-liberal Berliner Zeitung writes: "Those who leave the country are not leaving because they can express themselves freely in Munich or Amsterdam. They are leaving because they can feel more confident about developments and the rule of law abroad than in their home country. Those who leave could modernise the country. But for that they have to be heard. And Putin's power apparatus perceives criticism as an attack. Putin relies on his loyal supporters but they lack the will for progress. They want stability without major change. He offers them this. But for Russia as a whole this kind of stability means the same thing it meant at the end of his second presidency from 2004 to 2008, namely stagnation." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Human rights, » Justice, » Russia
All available articles from » Viktor Funk

The harsh punishment meted out to the members of the punk band Pussy Riot does not bode well for Russia's future, Russia expert Jiří Just writes in his blog for the news portal Aktuálně.cz: "The system in Russia can pat itself on the back. It has chalked up a victory against these women, and indirectly against all those who are dissatisfied with it. And it has done so in a very elegant manner. The judge excluded the possibility of the band being politically motivated and instead slapped them with a two-year prison sentence for inciting hatred against the Church. From which we're meant to conclude that there are no political prisoners in Russia. The case could set a legal precedent. The Kremlin's brief phase of weakness during the mass protests last winter seems to be a thing of the past. Nothing remains of the promises of more plurality. The hawks in the Kremlin cabinet are now making their move. ... With the case against Pussy Riot, however, the Kremlin has done lasting damage to its reputation abroad. ... It has shown that it has renounced even the last remnants of political flexibility. And that is a very bad signal for Russian civil society." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Crime, » Justice, » Russia
All available articles from » Jiří Just

The activists of Pussy Riot are the avant-garde of a new protest culture that is adjusted to the age of information, concludes cultural anthropologist Ivalyo Dichev in the daily 24 Chasa: "Can you imagine Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov singing and dancing? Hardly. Today's dissidents use aesthetics. They are no longer concerned just with telling the tyrants the truth to their face. They want to attract as much attention as possible by producing videos that go viral. The theatrical has largely superseded the ideological. The new 'indignant' are far more preoccupied with their external appearance. They practice jokes and film each step they make rather than discussing statutes, electing managing committees and reading Marx and Marcuse. ... I attribute this change in the protest culture to the liberalisation of the media. A world in which information was lacking has been replaced by a world in which we are bombarded with stimuli. To get the attention of the global consumer nowadays you have to cross boundaries and shatter the social consciousness." (18/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Social movements, » Demographics, » Society, » Russia, » Global
All available articles from » Ivaylo Ditchev

The diplomatic conflict over the extradition of Julian Assange is escalating. The Wikilieaks founder complained on Sunday in London that he was the victim of a "witch-hunt" orchestrated by the US government. But he is still no political refugee, the Christian-social daily Trouw comments: "It's understandable that Assange is afraid of being put on trial in the US. The US won't hesitate to use every legal instrument at its disposition to put him behind bars. But the country is a state based on the rule of law. And if Assange does face the death penalty there his extradition can be denied if the US applies for it. This rule applies both for Sweden, to where Assange is to be extradited, as well as for the UK where he is now. Assange is hated but also celebrated as a hero of transparency and journalism. Now, not everything that Wikileaks does can be journalistically justified, but the website nonetheless enjoys widespread support. And that support is good, but it shouldn't be given to someone who is trying to evade a criminal investigation on charges of rape." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Justice, » United Kingdom, » Sweden, » U.S.
Who's saying what » Wikileaks on trial

According to the German news magazine Der Spiegel, in its interim report the troika estimates that Greece will need 14 billion euros between now and 2014 rather than the 11.5 billion euros previously calculated. Once again the possibility of the country exiting the Eurzone is being openly discussed, but this would have devastating repercussions and must be avoided at all costs, writes the liberal-conservative business paper Il Sole 24 Ore: "Not a few governments would secretly like to persuade Greece to exit the euro. ... Greece is already paying for its sins. Should a country that has shown remorse and the willingness to improve really be punished? What kind of monetary union would this create? One that demands sacrifices and then denies support because certain countries want this because it suits their election interests on the domestic front? ... And also economically the strategy doesn't make sense. National bankruptcy would be inevitable and many banks in the Eurozone would suffer the consequences while the bonds of other countries would come under further pressure, both because of the fear of contamination and the cost of the emergency measures that would have to be taken." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Financial Markets, » Greece, » Europe
All available articles from » Riccardo Sorrentino
Who's saying what » Greece puts the Eurozone to the test

The Romanian prosecution is investigating whether the referendum on the impeachment of President Traian Băsescu was subject to fraud when the electoral lists were updated. The intercepted telephone calls of high-ranking officials of the Interior Ministry sparked the investigation, which is being strongly criticised by the governing alliance USL.  Journalist Dragos Aligica calls such criticism into question on the blog portal contributors: "A throng of politicians, journalists and intellectuals are hysterically berating the prosecution and [anti-corruption authority] DNA - both institutions that are simply doing their job. If we want to be democrats and achieve a believable result that can stand up to scrutiny, we must punish without hesitation those who make it their business to falsify and steal ballots. ... But if we cheat on our secondary school exams, there's no reason for us to tear out our hair and wonder why we don't have an educated society or a democratically functioning political system. ... Whatever people try to say, the government's attacks on the prosecution and the DNA show that for all its declarations to the contrary it hasn't got a clue about democracy or the rule of law." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Romania
All available articles from » Dragos Paul Aligica
Who's saying what » Power struggle in Romania

After the leader of the German opposition Social Democratic Party (SPD) Sigmar Gabriel and the leader of the SPD in the German parliament, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, now a third high-ranking SPD politician, ex-finance minister Peer Steinbrück, has spoken out in favour of debt consolidation in the Eurozone. But a major reform of Europe would overtax the monetary union at this point in time, warns the left-liberal daily the Süddeutsche Zeitung, calling for more patience: "Beyond Germany's borders there is no other European state or people where a large majority would be prepared to pass from being a union of sovereign states to being a European confederation. ... A hectic reform would just be half measures again. This would only increase the distrust, particularly if Germany is the one calling for the reform. Therefore it is imperative to decelerate the debate: above all those states that are sceptical about reform must first say what Europe wants to be in future and what it should be capable of. This central question regarding the European Union's identity cannot be answered in the panic of the crisis - it would inevitably lead to disaster. Those who want to help Europe should stop fantasising about sweeping solutions." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Economic Policy, » Germany, » Europe
All available articles from » Martin Winter
Who's saying what » The row over debt mutualisation

The Hungarian economy is currently experiencing its second recession in the space of two years. The country's gross domestic product contracted by 0.2 percent in the second quarter of 2012. In view of the dwindling spending power of the population the left-liberal business paper Világgazdaság is not surprised that businesses are having trouble selling even the cheapest products: "According to a study by the PMR market research institute in Kraków, demand for the cheapest textiles is highest in Hungary and Bulgaria. ... The big international clothing companies are not even trying to import high-quality goods to Hungary. The high rents coupled with ever lower purchasing power mean that Hungarian clothes stores stock mainly cheap products. Here in Hungary even the term 'purchasing power' is effectively an overstatement - you can only talk of 'power' where that is at least the potential for growth. So it's hardly surprising that even the second-hand stores in Hungary are complaining about low sales." (17/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Economic Policy, » Economy, » Hungary, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Kálmán Demeter

Enraged inhabitants of the Greek Island of Hydra on Friday night attacked tax inspectors who had arrested one of the island's best-known tavern owners for failing to issue receipts. The state should stop messing around with small fry and start taking a serious approach to combating tax evasion, writes the conservative business paper Naftemporiki: "Tax evasion is a very serious problem, and arresting tax dodgers must be given priority in the crisis. But the fight against tax evasion doesn't start with receipts for two euros that restaurant owners on Kimolos, Nisiros oder Hydra have failed to write. The fight begins where no tax inspector has yet dared to tread. To this day the Greek state still refuses to set up a comparative database enabling one to quickly and easily determine whether a citizen's living standard or assets tally with his declared revenue." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Tax Policy, » Crime, » Justice, » Greece
All available articles from » Nikos Frantzis
Who's saying what » Greece in dire straits

Patrick Ricard, whose father first commercialised the famous aperitif Pastis in 1932, died on Friday of a heart attack aged 67. Ricard turned the family business into the globally successful firm Pernod Ricard by buying out other producers of spirits. On the occasion of his death the conservative daily Le Figaro calls on the government to do more to support the entrepreneurial spirit: "Today the Ricard saga is incontestably one of the great - if all too rare - entrepreneurial successes that our country so badly needs to revive its economy. ... France lacks neither talent nor creators nor entrepreneurs. But creative initiative must no longer be nipped in the bud by dissuasive social and taxation policy. Success must be celebrated and not stigmatised. And money must no longer be considered an embarrassing illness. There are many groups of foreign investors ready to put money into our country. It is not forbidden to dream of a return on investment, of growth and employment. But on one condition: France must show that it loves its companies and its entrepreneurs." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Economic Policy, » Economy, » France
All available articles from » Gaëtan de Capèle

Around 5,000 people protested on Sunday in Brussels against the early release of Michelle Martin, the accomplice and ex-wife of child murderer Marc Dutroux. No one has prepared the victims' parents for her release, the left-liberal daily De Morgen admonishes: "This is especially bitter because we have these parents to thank for the fact that our country's judicial system has recognised the needs of the victims. ... However this recognition apparently ends with the last day of the trial. Also after the trial, on their long journey towards coming to terms with what happened and perhaps also towards reconciliation, the victims should not be abandoned to their fate. The parents could have been given a voice in the review process, and it could have been made clearer to them that justice is not just about revenge. Our legal system continues to lack this elementary form of compassion." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Crime, » Justice, » Belgium
All available articles from » Bart Eeckhout

Thirty million euros are spent each year in Finland on the construction of air-raid shelters. Such shelters are compulsory for most new buildings with surface areas exceeding a certain area. The liberal daily Kaleva doubts the shelters are still called for today: "It is hard to imagine that the small bunkers built under residential buildings offer any additional safety. In a real emergency one rather expects that those who seek refuge there could meet the fate of many Germans in World War II, for whom air-raid shelters turned out to be death traps. Today we have a large amount of such shelters, which offer protection to 3.8 [of a total of 5.4] million Finns. But when the new white book on defence is presented this autumn it should thoroughly explain their necessity. And if the bunkers are obsolete, the obligation to build them should be abolished. At the same time, we should put thought into how to protect citizens against threats that could pose a genuine threat to their existence." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Crises / War, » Society, » Finland

The new season for the premier league began in Spain last week. In order to broadcast as many games as possible live some of the matches aren't starting until 11 pm, meaning that they end after midnight. This arrangement is not just annoying fans but also endangering the country's productivity in the crisis, the conservative daily ABC admonishes: "The league's decision to have some of the matches start at eleven o'clock at night works against the fans, while only a couple of media companies benefit. The matches at the weekend made clear the inconveniences this schedule is causing, which will have a negative impact on stadium attendance. It also doesn't make sense for half the country to go to bed in the early hours of the morning on a work day just for the sake of watching a football match. This is not the right way to boost Spain's productivity." (20/08/2012)

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More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » Economy, » Spain