Do you mean to suggest that in the US we may be heading in the opposite direction of democratization? If so, do you say this because of things like Citizens United, government surveillance programs, increased executive powers etc? If so, I wouldn't disagree with you. Still, it's hard to image reading something like the below and having it be in the US, but who knows what the landscape is like in 10 years...:It was also a limited victory. Svetlana Davydova is still facing charges of high treason, which carry a punishment of 12 to 20 years in prison. These stem from changes to the law that Russia made in 2012, bringing the relevant section of the criminal code back in line with provisions that were in force during the Stalin era, when millions of Soviet citizens were imprisoned on bogus espionage and treason charges.