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Kate Adie introduces insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents and writers.

Kate Adie introduces insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers telling stories from around the world.

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From Our Own Correspondent: Crime and Punishment in Putin's Russia

25/11/2023

Crime and Punishment in Putin's Russia

BBC Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent, Crime and Punishment in Putin's Russia

While peaceful anti-war protesters are jailed, convicted killers are freed to fight.

To understand justice in Russia today you need to look at who is being sent to prison and what for, but also who is being released, says Steve Rosenberg.

Kate Adie presents stories from Russia, the US, Argentina, Iraq and Iceland.

In the wake of President Putin's invasion of Ukraine, repressive laws were passed which effectively criminalise all anti-war activism. The recent trial of artist Sasha Skochilenko underscored the heavy-handed enforcement of these laws, as well as the inconsistent way in which justice is applied in Russia. Steve Rosenberg was in St Petersburg.

Democratic and Republican states are introducing radically different laws on issues ranging from LGBTQ rights to the teaching of black history. As a result, people on either side of the political divide are on the move – as they flee from one state to another more aligned with their politics. Lucy Proctor was in Chicago and Miami.

Argentina has elected far-right outsider Javier Milei as President, bringing an end to an era that has largely been dominated by left-leaning ‘Peronist’ parties. Mr Milei has pledged big spending cuts and low taxes alongside other more radical policies. Natalio Cosoy was in Buenos Aires to find out why voters backed Mr Milei. 

While armed violence in Iraq has ebbed in recent years, hundreds of people are still dying in accidents caused by poorly enforced safety standards as the country struggles to recover from years of war.  For Iraqis who have lived through decades of conflict, these incidents represent another awful failure, says Lizzie Porter. 

In Iceland, residents of the fishing town of Grindavik have all been evacuated owing to warnings of an imminent volcanic eruption. Jessica Parker met locals recovering their belongings and saw the impact of the recent earthquakes first hand.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

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