Russian Government Seizes Books on Putin

In America, we enjoy various freedoms. Most of these liberties are proudly laid out, and we are all grateful for them. However, there are some liberties that we take for granted, such as free speech. We live in a country that actually celebrates free thoughts, no matter what they are. Yet, there are countries that aren't as lucky as we are, and this is made ever-present with the Russian government.

A Russian journalist, Vladimir Pribylovsky is the webmaster of a web site that is critical of the Kremlin. This is how the countries government gained recognition of this journalist. However, throughout their research of this man they have learned of several books that he an his co-author, who lives in the United States, have been writing. It is with this knowledge that the Russian government seized his manuscripts in an attempt to learn about what he was knowledge.

Pribylovsky told the Associated Press, "I believe that they wanted to read what I was writing." But why is this so important? The reason for the governments interest in this man's books is because they concern information about President Vladimir Putin, and with the election approaching, they want to know exactly what Pribylovsky was saying about the President. This information is very important to this government because the computers that they seized from his apartment contain a lot of "very interesting and important information, which might be lost because they (the government) could drag on the investigation, any investigation, for some years now..." says Felshtinsky, Pribylovsky's co-author.