Epstein Secrets

A display of supremacy In December 2011, members of the Russian opposition obtained video evidence of ballot stuffing committed by operatives from Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in that month's parliamentary elections. A series of unusu- ally large protests ensued. Putin weathered the furor and went on t

n authoritarians. Again, Russia has taken the lead, with the state's asser- tion of authority over history textbooks and the process, encouraged by Putin, of reassessing the historical role of Joseph Stalin. • The hiring of political consultants and lobbyists from democratic countries to represent t

hinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing. 2016. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

rman in 2016, Manafort was best known for his work on behalf of foreign political leaders, including several with distinctly autocratic pedigrees: Ferdinand Marcos, the strongman of the Philippines until 1986; Mobutu Sese Seko, the klepto- cratic dictator of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo; Sani A

nd Marcos, ex-Nigerian president Sani Abacha and Vladimir Montesinos, the one-time head of Peru's intellige

t doesn't happen very often. Not that there has been a shortage of corrupt officials opening up accounts in Switzerland. Former Phillipine president Ferdinand Marcos, ex-Nigerian president Sani Abacha and Vladimir Montesinos, the one-time head of Peru's intelligence agency, all had numbered accounts with Swiss b

nd Marcos. ex- Nigerian president Sani Abacha and Vladimir Montcsinos, the one-time head of Penis intelligen

t doesn't happen very often. Not that there has been a shortage of corrupt officials opening up accounts in Switzerland. Fonner Phillipine president Ferdinand Marcos. ex- Nigerian president Sani Abacha and Vladimir Montcsinos, the one-time head of Penis intelligence agency, all had numbered accounts with Swiss ba

ern authoritarians. Again, Russia has taken the lead, with the state's asser- tion of authority over history textbooks and the process, encouraged by Putin, of reassessing the historical role of Joseph Stalin. ¢ The hiring of political consultants and lobbyists from democratic countries to represent th

represent undue interference in their domestic affairs and a violation of national pre- rogatives. 3. Dictatorship of law: Initially articulated by Vlad- imir Putin, this phrase has come to signify the adoption of laws that are so vaguely written as to www.freedomhouse.org HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019241 --- PAGE BREAK

o cast ballots than it is for Hungarian citizens who are tempo- rarily working in Europe or elsewhere. ¢ Asa matter of high priority, both Orban and Pu- tin have secured domination over the judiciary with the goal of removing its role as a check on their power. ‘Law and Justice’ in Poland Like Hungary,

ernment. ls Orban a Central European version of Putin? Orban's domestic critics have often compared his governing style to that of Russian president Vladimir Putin. On the surface, the comparison seems unfair. Hungary is still rated Free by Freedom House. It still has genuine opposition parties, however we