PDA

View Full Version : Killing children over strawberry


MeMyselfAndI
Jul 8th 2010, 05:41 PM
In Leningrad oblast, a trip by dozens of youths from a camp to pick strawberry ends in brawl with guards; one boy still missing

In Leningrad oblast, a conflict between owners of a strawberry fields and their hired guards, and 30 inmates of a problem children's camp led to a mass brawl and shooting. All the local police went out to the scene, and two minor girls were injured. Another teenager simply disappeared, divers are now looking for him in the lakes, writes [newspaper] "Komsomolskaya Pravda".

At the moment, the circumstances of the large-scale clashes in the strawberry field, are being invsetigated by the human rights Ombudsman in the Leningrad oblast, Mikhail Kozminykh. The Ombudsman is concerned about the beating of teenage girls from the summer work camp, and has taken the investigation of this case under his personal control, says "Interfax" referring to the press service of the Ombudsman.

Mikhail Kozminykh sent a authorized representative to the camp to clarify what happened. "We have engaged the Prosecutor General's office and local authorities to the proceedings of this serious case," - said the Ombudsman.

According to preliminary information obtained by the Ombudsman, the 15-year-old girls were beaten by a guard of the local agricultural field.

"The guards beat them with sticks on the body and head, - said the director of the ill-fated camp," New Generation", Valery Semenov. - At first it seemed that the injuries were small, but in the evening one of the girls became ill, and she was sent to the hospital."

In addition, the camp leadership are missing another child, who did not return from the night hike for the berries. "He was in the same group as the two affected girls - said local police chief for Lodejnoe Pole district, Andrew Fedyunin - There are two versions: he either escaped or drowned. Now, the lakes located near the camp, are being examined by divers."

They had to bring in police backup to defend their... berries?

Main police department for St. Petersburg and Leningrad oblast has confirmed that on Sunday night, about thirty teenagers from a nearby summer work camp "New Generation" for so-called "problem children" and orphans came out into the strawberry field.

In the night between Saturday and Sunday they decided to treat themselves with some sweet strawberries, which grew in abundance on the property of adjacent agricultural enterprise "Nika". The kids waited until lights out, and then climbed out of their bedrooms through windows and ran to the field, which is located just a hundred meters from the camp.

"The area is not fenced, and there is no specialized security forces there - said the camp director Valery Semenov. - The children are watched by the so-called "green administrators", it is mostly elderly people. So they could not keep up with the kids."

However, the adolescents did not have time to enjoy their strawberries.

"Their security guards noticed them in the field, and began to to to drive away the teenagers, - said police. - Scuffles ensued, during which the two girls had received head injuries, and had to be hospitalized later.

One of the guards in the fight fired a shotgun into the air. As a result of orphans had fled, but after some time some 100 more camp children came back to the field, along with the first party who'd called them for help.

"But at this point, almost the entire staff of Lodejnoe Pole police precinct was out in the field, keeping watch, - said police. - More clashes were avoided, and the children returned to their camp."

All participants are curious "Strawberry riots" from the camp are adolescents between the ages of 12 to 16 years. The police is still investigating, including against some of the guards. But, for now, the police believe that the security staff acted within the law, protecting the strawberry beds from 'intruders', as is their job.

"The guards told us that, at first, they simply shouted at the children, but the words were not enough" - said a law enforcement source. - "In fact, the teenagers beat up one of the guards, who called their colleagues for help.



http://newsru.com/crime/05jul2010/securbeatkidcmplen.html (http://newsru.com/crime/05jul2010/securbeatkidcmplen.html)

They should have just let the kids pick their berries. For God's sake. This would have been avoided, easily. 'Problem children' means besprizorniki, street children pick up from railway terminals, Metro stations and hallways, and city garbage dumping grounds. Many of the children in that camp have convictions, including for violent crime, like street mugging; and have spent time in Underaged Convicts Colonies (our 'juvie'). They may have been trying to reform. More compassion is needed, and less 'mine' vs 'yours' capitalism.

Greendruid
Jul 9th 2010, 12:43 PM
http://newsru.com/crime/05jul2010/securbeatkidcmplen.html

They should have just let the kids pick their berries. For God's sake. This would have been avoided, easily. 'Problem children' means besprizorniki, street children pick up from railway terminals, Metro stations and hallways, and city garbage dumping grounds. Many of the children in that camp have convictions, including for violent crime, like street mugging; and have spent time in Underaged Convicts Colonies (our 'juvie'). They may have been trying to reform. More compassion is needed, and less 'mine' vs 'yours' capitalism.

Who had the brilliant idea of taking them to a strawberry farm in the first place? Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Michael
Jul 9th 2010, 03:09 PM
Well, at least none of the kids got shot for 'illegally picking strawberries'! There is hope for Russia still! Seems like a bit of progress by Russian standards (which have traditionally been brutal and violent).

Anyway, the point that interested me most was the reference to "Leningrad Oblast" - what the heck is that?

I thought Leningrad was restored to its original name (St.Petersburg) and wasn't an Oblast at all. :ummm:

MeMyselfAndI
Jul 9th 2010, 03:53 PM
Well, at least none of the kids got shot for 'illegally picking strawberries'! There is hope for Russia still! Seems like a bit of progress by Russian standards (which have traditionally been brutal and violent).

Anyway, the point that interested me most was the reference to "Leningrad Oblast" - what the heck is that?

I thought Leningrad was restored to its original name (St.Petersburg) and wasn't an Oblast at all. :ummm:

A. In Russia there are oblast, like province. Each one has a capital. Like Orenburg oblast is goverened from Orenburg. It is like... region. Region government. Governs over the city and the region around it. Saint Petersburg and Moscow are Cities of Federal Status. What this means is, back in 1991, when the new Russian Federation was being put together, Moscow and Saint Petersurg, unlike other cities, actually had their own representatives, same as the Republics, and signed the Constitution and joined the Federation, not as cities, but as autonomous city-states. It may sound funny to you, but legally, Moscow can secede from Russia at any time it chooses, I am not joking. :) So, they have their own separate governments (Mayor Yuri Luzhkov in Moscow, he has been there before USSR fell apart, still there, probably will be there until he dies; and Governor Valentina Matvienko in Petersburg). And their oblasts, the regiosn around them, have their own governments. Leningrad was, indeed, renamed into Saint Petersburg in 1991. But, Saint Petersburg oblast actually is very hard to pronounce in Russian, very awkward. Plus, many of the older people there are nostalgic for the Soviet times. So, they left it as Leningrad. It is not the only one. The city of Yekaterinburg is the capital of Sverdlovsk Oblast, for example.

B. It is still brutal. New, capitalist phenomenon too. Children have always done things like this, climbed over fences to steal berries and apples and such, back in USSR too. It was frowned at, it is theft, yes. But, they were not beaten for it, let alone drowned.

And, Greendruid,

"Who had the brilliant idea of taking them to a strawberry farm in the first place? Sounds like a recipe for disaster."

Well, at least, I read now, they have increased security at that camp. Put actual armed guards around it; now they are putting up a fence too. But it is wrong. They are turning it into what it was originally supposed to help these children to avoid: prison.

Michael
Jul 9th 2010, 04:18 PM
A. In Russia there are oblast, like province. Each one has a capital. Like Orenburg oblast is goverened from Orenburg. It is like... region. Region government. Governs over the city and the region around it. Saint Petersburg and Moscow are Cities of Federal Status. What this means is, back in 1991, when the new Russian Federation was being put together, Moscow and Saint Petersurg, unlike other cities, actually had their own representatives, same as the Republics, and signed the Constitution and joined the Federation, not as cities, but as autonomous city-states. It may sound funny to you, but legally, Moscow can secede from Russia at any time it chooses, I am not joking. :) So, they have their own separate governments (Mayor Yuri Luzhkov in Moscow, he has been there before USSR fell apart, still there, probably will be there until he dies; and Governor Valentina Matvienko in Petersburg). And their oblasts, the regiosn around them, have their own governments. Leningrad was, indeed, renamed into Saint Petersburg in 1991. But, Saint Petersburg oblast actually is very hard to pronounce in Russian, very awkward. Plus, many of the older people there are nostalgic for the Soviet times. So, they left it as Leningrad. It is not the only one. The city of Yekaterinburg is the capital of Sverdlovsk Oblast, for example.

Thanks for the clarification about "Oblast". I thought it was a particular designation only used for some unusual polities like the Kaliningrad Oblast.

Btw, in case you are curious... we have a thread about that...
http://www.discussionworldforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=200

The Drunk Girl
Jul 9th 2010, 06:29 PM
Ah...Strawberry Fields Forever