Russia brings criminal charges against #JeSuisCharlie protester Vladimir Ionov

Russia continues to express its overt rejection of Western ideals, such as the freedom of press, speech and expression. While the civilized world mourned the victims of terrorist attacks in Paris, France, Russian media and politicians chose to blame the victims. They’ve emphasized the need for strict censorship andurged Russia to turn away from the West and to look inward. So far, it’s not a pretty sight.

The Russian ministry of culture is proposing a decree that would ban the showing of any film that is perceived as denigrating the country’s national culture, threatening its national unity and undermining the foundations of the constitutional system. This would ban controversial films, such as Oscar-nominated “Leviathan” (the first Russian film to win a Golden Globe since “War and Peace” in 1969) from being shown in its native Russia. The pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergei Markov panned the film as “part of the new cold war the west is fighting against Russia … an anti-Russian film basically made according to a western order, a cinematic anti-Putin manifesto.” It should be noted that “Leviathan” was partially funded by Russia’s Ministry of Culture, which is now condemning the film.

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