MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian investigators charged street protest leader Alexei Navalny with theft on Tuesday and banned him from leaving the country, threatening a heavy jail term in what supporters say is a growing crackdown on dissent by President Vladimir Putin.
Navalny, an anti-corruption blogger who has organized demonstrations that have dented Putin's authority, dismissed the charge as absurd and other opposition leaders accused Putin of using KGB-style tactics to try to silence his critics.
Other moves which the opposition depict as a crackdown on dissent since Putin began a six-year term in May include a law increasing fines for protesters, closer controls of the Internet and tighter rules for foreign-funded campaign and lobby groups.
Russia's federal Investigative Committee said in a statement that Navalny, 36, had been charged over the theft of timber from a state firm while he was advising a regional governor in 2009, and he could face a 10-year sentence.
"I have been charged and ordered not to leave," Navalny said after emerging from the Investigative Committee headquarters, where he had been summoned for the presentation of what he had expected would be a less severe charge.
"This is really quite absurd and very strange because they have completely changed the essence of the accusation, compared to what it was before," Navalny, who had been questioned repeatedly since the case was opened in 2010, told reporters.
He made clear he would not be silenced. "I will continue to do what I have been doing, and in this sense nothing changes for me," said Navalny, a lawyer. "We believe that what is happening now is illegal. We will use the methods of legal defense at our disposal. What else can we do?"
Navalny is one of the few people seen as capable of emerging as a viable leader of the fractious opposition, although critics say he has nationalist tendencies.
He gained prominence by fighting corruption at state-controlled companies and used the Internet to do so, appealing to a tech-savvy generation of urban Russians who have turned away from the mainstream media.
Before parliamentary elections last December he helped to energize a struggling opposition, popularizing a phrase referring to the ruling United Russia party, then headed by Putin, as the "party of swindlers and thieves".
He was also among the leaders of large protests prompted by allegations of fraud in the election on behalf of United Russia, which saw its big majority in parliament cut to a handful of seats despite the accusations that it had cheated.
"MORTAL FEAR"
"This case has been fabricated from beginning to end," said Boris Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister who is a prominent Putin opponent. "The true reason for what is happening is Putin's mortal fear of losing power ... He is wildly afraid of the opposition, including Navalny."
In a reference to the Cheka secret police, a precursor of the Soviet KGB, Nemtsov said: "Putin is using traditional Chekist methods ... Fabricated cases, charges, arrests, jail."
Putin won a presidential election on March 4 despite the largest protests since the start of his 12-year rule, during which he has served as president for eight years and as premier for four. At times attendance at the rallies reached more than 100,000, witnesses said, although they have become less frequent since Putin returned to power.
But opponents say a series of steps he has taken in recent months to tighten control show the former KGB spy is worried about losing his grip on the world's largest country.
Putin, who has repeatedly warned against rocking the boat in speeches since his election, signed a law on Monday toughening punishment for defamation and another on Tuesday that opponents say could be used to censor the Internet.
In a case which critics say will indicate how he plans to treat opponents during his new term, three women from the punk band "Pussy Riot" went on trial on Monday over an unsanctioned protest performance at the altar of Russia's main cathedral, where they called on the Virgin Mary to "throw Putin out!"
Their trial entered its second day on Tuesday in a Moscow court, and they face up to seven years in jail over a protest they say was aimed against the close relationship between Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church.
Navalny had been detained and served brief terms in custody several times over administrative offences linked to the protests, but had never been charged with a more serious crime.
Lawyers for Navalny had said on Friday they expected he would be charged over the case in Kirov province. But they had expected him to face a different charge punishable by up to five years in jail, rather than 10.
The Investigative Committee said more than 10,000 cubic meters of timber were stolen as the result of a plot between Navalny and two company chiefs, causing the regional government to lose more than 16 million roubles ($497,000).
(Reporting by Nastassia Astrasheuskaya, Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Timothy Heritage and David Stamp)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/putin-foe-charged-russian-opposition-fear-kgb-tactics-131428979.html
fafsa branson missouri davy jones dead monkees last train to clarksville tim tebow taylor swift post grad
Attendees playing Logo Lookout
p style=text-align:center;object width=425 height=350 type=application/x-shockwave-flash data=http://www.youtube.com/v/crX6hsoGdSQparam name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/crX6hsoGdSQ/param!?[if IE]embed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/crX6hsoGdSQtype=application/x-shockwave-flashwmode=transparent width=425 height=350 /![endif]?/object/ppNow you have purchased your own most up-to-date E school Bmw auto and you really are prepared to phone your mates and hit the street for a traveling adventure, I think you should contemplate, can the automobile contain the correct gizmos to keep these you are carrying interested? Avoid being suggest, it is possible to raise the worth of your automobile by simply putting in a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/79443607@N02/7289726430/in/photostreamcar audio video/a for Mercedes to leave your friends wishing the journey could continue a little longer./ppThe days of having a good car and giving a cold shoulder to the entertainment inside are gone. Nowadays car owners have not only put a href=http://best-deal-info.blogspot.com/2012/05/10-best-car-audio-video-receivers_28.htmlclassic stereo systems/a in their flashy Mercedes cars but also high quality video system. a href=http://bestelectronicsreview.net/10-the-best-car-audio-video-receivers.htmlCar audio video/a for Mercedes offers some of the best stereos in the market./ppFor those who have not necessarily tried the brand new Bmw OEM music system substitute parts, i then feel you might be in fact missing for action. They come in extremely superb brain devices associated with a straightforward to learn LCD display. The sound radio also isn?t some thing common as they depict a unique take care of they are placed in your car. An advanced fan of audio along with high quality base seem, You aren?t forgotten as the subs come in numerous different sizes along with number of w you could select from to not talk with the design choice accessible. So if your Bmw has traditional music system it is possible to go on and improve this with all the new mobile entertainment video clip regarding Bmw.br /br /I think it will be high time you are making your Bmw any theatre for a few excursions with your family which will give them classic reminiscences. Car audio video clip regarding Bmw can there be to offer the particular solution for this require. The background music as well as video clip can never be better as well as louder. The matchless LCD display can there be to be able to catch your favorite tv set detergent chrome when you travel. The subs is likely to make your windows nearly collapse.br /br /Should you be wondering where you will discover the very best mobile entertainment video clip to your Bmw, My own very hot Bmw.org has solved your situation. The item they feature in the market will be of world class regular so when placed in your Bmw automobile the interior look turns into a short inside the correct equip. You don?t have to get bored anymore in that extended journey by yourself, go on and have a tiredness free daring journey by getting mobile entertainment video clip regarding Bmw inside your automobile./p 
