51.   Rights groups and the opposition say authorities have produced no evidence to support the claims and accuse the government of abusing the law to stifle political dissent.

52.   The communist government encourages Web access as a way to promote commerce, yet has also taken pains to stifle dissent by blocking sites that it considers subversive.

53.   The authorities have muzzled newspapers that failed to toe the party line and have intensified efforts to stifle dissent on the Internet.

54.   The communist government has struggled to balance a desire to encourage the Internet as a commercial medium with efforts to stifle political dissent.

55.   The incident raised allegations that Russia was reverting to Soviet-era techniques in which dissent sometimes was stifled by medical means.

56.   The opposition is particularly upset by the spy bill which it fears will be used to stifle political dissent.

57.   The Russian media have accused Ilyumzhinov of flaunting his wealth while stifling dissent in Kalmykia and ignoring its serious economic problems.

58.   They fear it will be used to stifle political dissent.

59.   We reject terrorism and violence from any side to achieve political goals or to stifle dissent.

60.   Former military-backed regimes had used the powerful security network to stifle dissent.