Answer:
The Russian Federation has a centralized political system, with power concentrated
in a president and a prime minister, a weak multiparty political system dominated
by the ruling United Russia party, and a bicameral legislature (Federal Assembly).
The Federal Assembly consists of a lower house (State Duma) and an upper house
(Federation Council). The country has an estimated population of 142 million.
Security forces generally reported to civilian authorities; however, in some areas of
the Northern Caucasus, there were serious problems with civilian control of
security forces.
There were numerous reports of governmental and societal human rights problems
and abuses during the year. The restrictions on political competition and
interference in local and regional elections in ways that restricted citizens' right to
change their government continued. There were reports of: attacks on and killings
of journalists by unidentified persons for reasons apparently related to their
activities; physical abuse by law enforcement officers, particularly in the North
Caucasus region; and harsh and often life-threatening prison conditions. Arbitrary
detention and politically motivated imprisonments were problems. The government
controlled many media outlets and infringed on freedoms of speech and
expression, pressured major independent media outlets to abstain from critical
coverage, and harassed and intimidated some journalists into practicing self-
censorship. The Internet remained by and large free and provided citizens access to
an increased amount of information that was not available on state-controlled
media. The government limited freedom of assembly, and police at times used
violence to prevent groups from engaging in peaceful protest. Rule of law and due
process violations remained a problem.