Propaganda Law in Russia

 In America, the people have a right to demonstrate peaceful protests in exercise of freedom of speech. Examples include Occupy Wall Street and many gay-rights protests. Russia, however, criminalizes such activities. The most recent example is the anti-gay law proposed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin. This law gives law enforcement permission to arrest gay-rights activists or anyone who is spreading the "gay agenda." This law was passed because Russia lacks separation of church and state, making religious obligations and government collide. The law is affecting many Russian citizens, both straight and gay. More can be learned about the "Gay Propaganda Law" at Amnesty International.   The law also provoked the International Olympic Committee to look into the human rights situation in Russia. (The 2014 Winter Olympic Games takes place in Moscow). However, the committee decided to overlook the issue, stating, "We are not a human rights organization." An article explaining the IOC's stance can be found at this link:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/26/ioc-sochi-olympics-russia-anti-gay-law_n_3994761.html.