The Games Have Begun. AGAIN.

(Little Fone Bone and Thorn are getting ready...)

The text below is quoted from lawyer Robert Amsterdam's blog. See the story as a whole in here, and don't miss the blogging before that one: Grigori Pasko blogged very interesting report from Chita region. That is one of the scariest prison camps created during the Stalin era, still in use, and where for example the ex-oil tycoon Khodorkovsky is currently being held. And, most likely Trepashkin (ex-FSB officer, now a lawyer) is being imprisoned somewhere in Chita.

Pay attention to the comment (below) of Robert Amsterdam: "It is clear that the games have begun once again."

Despite of its truthful context, it does sound like an uplifting line in a fantasy story; the tension before the Final Battle: "We all see the signs. It has started again. The Darkness is rising...

But this is not funny, and please don't think I am making fun of serious matters. I do agree with Amsterdam.

The games have begun. It is rising, the Purge has started again.

THERE you go (Amsterdam's blog):

"This evening in Moscow, lawyers of the defense teams for political prisoners Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, including lead lawyer Yuri Schmidt and Karinna Moskalenko, Yevgeny Baru, lead lawyer for Platon Lebedev, were detained by police at the airport on their way to Chita, taken to a station through a back door, and held for more than one hour without charges or explanation.

After much vigorous protest, a senior officer gave instructions for the release of the male prisoners, who were being held in one cell. At this time, the whereabouts of Karinna Moskalenko are still unknown.

In response to these warrant-less and unwarranted arrests, international defense counsel Robert Amsterdam issued the following comments:

“It is clear that the games have begun once again,” said Mr. Amsterdam. “The constant harassment of the legal team – which has included interception of communications, physical intimidation, disbarment, imprisonment, and deportation – apparently will continue as we prepare to defend our client from new, fraudulent charges. One can only continue to condemn these ongoing attacks as a further abuse of process which renders hollow any assertions by the Russian president about the 'dictatorship of law.' It’s just dictatorship.”



*****

Ps. Guess where Miss Funnybunny, Mr HP and I went today. Our annual tradition: Bikers' Fair. Gee, I could not have guessed some years ago I would actually come to like that happening so much. But, you know, motorcycles and all the leather-rubber stuff there belong to the kind of irrational, not-at-all-boring, and old-fashionably adventurous world I sometimes miss very much. But don't we all?

Pay attention: Trepashkin, Khodorkovsky and Koivunen. And, have GOOD food. Like meze.

It's been some time, and I know I have to give a Christmas update.

I will. And everything is fine. The only slightly negative detail is that Ms Funnybunny is having some weird and very visible rash on her face, and Mr HP and I think it is because of chocolate.

Or, too much of it.

Gee what a problem we have. Too much chocolate. Had I only known when I was a kid that, in the future I would have problems with too vast amounts of chocolate, I would have been the happiest girl in the world.

Actually, I think I am among the happiest!

But before my real Christmas update (COMING SOON!), please pay attention to these guys and their problems.

* Mikhail Trepashkin is the ex-KGB officer, currently a lawyer, but now in jail in Northern Russia, thanks to whom the world now knows it was the FSB (successor of KGB in Russia) who blew up the worker's homes in Moscow and St Pete. The bombings were told to be terrorist attack by the Chechens. Because of the scandal, resulting to the people's fear and anger, the Second Chechnyan war starter. What a game.

But Trepashkin is not well, he is suffering from bad health conditions in jail. According to the rumours, he might not survive the imprisonment. Several Finns have also sent an appeal the the EU leaders.

As is the case with


* Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the YUKOS CEO who is used as an example of an evil and ruthless oil oligarch in the "New Russia". Well. The guy certainly made big money out of the ex-Soviet state owned oil fields, no doubt, but yet; his trial was just showbusiness, the manuscript of which was put together by other oligarchs.

(If you hate my blunt anguage, just go on and use the brain of your own! I am cutting thing short here as I am not going to write huge essays about these two. There are many articles about these things in the net. Google, google, google.)

And things might soon get a lot worse.

Last but not least. Though, this is the easiest thing as she is not in prison ANY MORE:

* Kristiina Koivunen, a Finnish writer and journo was arrested in Turkey, and ASAP escorted by Turkish police to the airport, to the next plain back to Helsinki. Kristiina's crime? Beats me. Probably the same as usual in these cases: mentioning human rights, or lack of them, in South-Eastern Turkey, writing about the rich, lively and interesting Kurdish culture, inviting Kurdish friends of hers to Finland (and they usually tend to be either journalists or lawyers...)

Kristiina is looking forward to getting more information on her case, and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs is helping her with it.

What a pity that there are problems like this with Turkey. I know some very nice Turkish men and women, and of the Turkish culture I adore the excellent food!!!!! I love especially the eggplant stuff called Imam Bayildi, "Imam Fainted". And baclava! Let alone all those lovely garlic-tasting meze...


We had meze today, miss Funnybunny and I. But the only thing she liked was... now you will guess... rice.

But I loved all of them! Goodbye the Finnish Christmas food, like ham and sweet potato casserole, not to mention creamy rice porridge! I'm done.