Interfax: Putin vows to avoid clampdown in fight against radicalism

(Interfax – July 22, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed that the fight against radicalism in Russia will not result in a state clampdown on civil society and said he expects the Russian public to help prevent one, Russian privately-owned news agency Interfax reported on 22 July.

Putin made the statements at a meeting of the Russian Security Council on the same day.

During the meeting the Russian president said that it is absolutely unacceptable to use the fight against radicalism “exclusively for the sake of tightening some screws [i.e. for the sake of a state clampdown on freedoms]”.

“We will absolutely not take this path,” Putin added.

“It is crucially important that our civil society should have an active position, react to violations of human rights and liberties, contribue to the prevention of radicalism and extremism,” Interfax quoted him as saying in another report.

“It is the civil society, from which we expect active help in improving the system of state administration in the sphere of national policy. And what is most important – in the upbringing of young people,” he said.

Putin added that all Russian citizens should have equal opportunities and that no-one has the right to trample their rights.

“The supremacy of Constitution and the unity of the economic and legal space should be guaranteed on the whole Russian territory,” he was quoted as saying in a separate Interfax report.

“No-one has the right to violate our laws and trample the rights of citizens. It is important that all Russians, regardless of their place of residence, have equal rights and opportunities, which provides the basis of a democratic regime,” Putin said.