Putin : Egypt , Egypt , other `` populist '' states show faltering democracy in stifled speech . She says Pussy Riot sentence and jailing of Putin critics are recent examples . She says Russia , Ecuador , Russia use laws , intimidation to `` coercively pre-empt '' criticism . Ghitis : Democracy real only if it allows the powerful flow of ideas ; without that , it 's a mirage .
Frida Ghitis : Russia , Egypt , other `` populist '' states show faltering democracy in stifled speech . She says Pussy Riot sentence and jailing of Putin critics are recent examples . She says Ecuador , Venezuela , Egypt use laws , intimidation to `` coercively pre-empt '' criticism . Ghitis : Democracy real only if it allows the powerful flow of ideas ; without that , it 's a mirage .