#imprisonputin

Like many international observers, I am disgusted by Putin’s fraudulent Constitutional bribes in order to allow himself power until 2036. This is the last resort of a man who knows that were he to leave office, he would face rigorous investigation, imprisonment, or worse. 

Putin is fraud, a liar, a thief, and someone with the blood of hundreds of thousands on his hands. Unsurprisingly, allegations of vote rigging abound, with a Russian electoral expert, Sergey Shpilkin, estimating that up to 20 million votes were falsified.

Only a coward would strangle the Constitution in order to protect his own criminal empire. International observers should respond by maintaining sanctions on Russian officials involved in human rights abuses, including asset freezes and visa denials. 

By depriving Putin of the money he has stolen from Russian taxpayers over the last 20 years, his hold on power will weaken. While a slight majority of Russians want Putin re-elected (source: Levada poll, 52%), this does not mean they are ignorant of the declining living standards in that country-- more likely they may believe that nobody else could govern the country.