Appeal to justice and to adopt a new and comprehensive law to protect wild animals anim
- by: Group of Russian ecologists
- recipient: Mr. Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev President of the Russian Federation and Mr. Vladimir Vladimirovich PutinChairman of the Government of the Russian Federation
An Open Letter
Dear Dmitry Anatolyevich
We, the undersigned- the group of Russian ecologists have already written to you, each on their own behalf. Our letters were forwarded to the Ulyanovsk Oblast Directorate of Internal Affairs. This appeal to you is a group action. We have to act this way due to some circumstances.
On August 3, 2010, the site http://eco.rian.ru/danger/20100803/261382778.html placed an article, The Fact of Severe Beating of an Elk Calf Investigated in Ulyanovsk Oblast. In fact, a company of drunken thugs beat it to death on July 11, 2010 near Sosnovy Bor camp site belonging to the city hospital, in Cherdaklinsky Rayon, Ulyanovsk Oblast (see the photo of the beaten calf on http://vkontakte.ru/photo-19096275_175669626). This happened in front of hundreds of gapers (including kids) who were videotaping the beating with their mobile telephones %u2013 and not a single person stood up for the helpless elk calf. The thugs%u2019 acts have at least corpus delicti per Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (cruel treatment of animals). It was on only on August 9, 2010 that the Ulyanovsk Oblast Directorate of Internal Affairs commenced suit under public pressure. However, investigation of the case has only one goal %u2013 prove that there was no crime at all. On September 6, in its press release, the Ulyanovsk Oblast Directorate of Internal Affairs offered a version that the calf died on its own, and namely, killed itself against a chain-linked fence. Other versions are not considered, documentary evidence of the case (including photos taken by people who had found the elk calf %u2013 http://lchilikova.livejournal.com/97274.html) and witnesses%u2019 testimony disproving the %u201Cself-murder%u201D version are ignored, the police twist the facts and deliberately delay the investigation. A number of important witnesses have never been interrogated despite the fact that they are easy to find. The press release has a number of groundless assumptions that cannot be allowed during the investigation. There is every reason to be concerned about law enforcement authorities being interested in blocking the investigation. Time ticks away %u2013 as well as opportunities to find the criminals, collect and consolidate evidence.
The article drew a wide response not only in Russia but also abroad. Treatment of the weak and helpless is one of the indicators of a nation%u2019s morality. Today these monsters killed an elk, and tomorrow %u2013 if they get away with that %u2013 they will kill a human being. The evil must be punished %u2013 the earlier the better. We would like to believe that the inevitability of punishment in our country is not just a statement. We realise you are extremely busy, but if you could take the investigation under your personal control it would be a weighty guarantee that the case would be investigated and tried, the crime would not remain unpunished, and the persons who had committed it would be punished accordingly. People cannot lose faith in justice.
We hope that if the offenders are found and duly punished, and if mass media broadly highlight the case, the fear of punishment will stop the ones who lack either brain or conscience.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. We think that in order to prevent such appalling situations, punishment for cruel treatment of animals should be more severe. We appeal that you order to draft a new and comprehensive law on animal protection, and facilitate its adoption. In our view, the law must provide a primary penalty of confinement of 2 to 8 years, and an additional punishment of either a fine or seizure of property to repair the material damages incurred to the nature and moral damage incurred to the community. The fine amount must be at least hundreds of thousands roubles rather than hundreds %u2013 or even millions. This will make the law work. The fear of punishment is sometimes a good adviser. We want to live in a country where crimes like that would be impossible.
Sincerely, and looking forward to your effective response,
Group of Russian ecologists
An Open Letter
Dear Dmitry Anatolyevich
We, the undersigned- the group of Russian ecologists have already written to you, each on their own behalf. Our letters were forwarded to the Ulyanovsk Oblast Directorate of Internal Affairs. This appeal to you is a group action. We have to act this way due to some circumstances.
On August 3, 2010, the site http://eco.rian.ru/danger/20100803/261382778.html placed an article, The Fact of Severe Beating of an Elk Calf Investigated in Ulyanovsk Oblast. In fact, a company of drunken thugs beat it to death on July 11, 2010 near Sosnovy Bor camp site belonging to the city hospital, in Cherdaklinsky Rayon, Ulyanovsk Oblast (see the photo of the beaten calf on http://vkontakte.ru/photo-19096275_175669626). This happened in front of hundreds of gapers (including kids) who were videotaping the beating with their mobile telephones %u2013 and not a single person stood up for the helpless elk calf. The thugs%u2019 acts have at least corpus delicti per Article 245 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (cruel treatment of animals). It was on only on August 9, 2010 that the Ulyanovsk Oblast Directorate of Internal Affairs commenced suit under public pressure. However, investigation of the case has only one goal %u2013 prove that there was no crime at all. On September 6, in its press release, the Ulyanovsk Oblast Directorate of Internal Affairs offered a version that the calf died on its own, and namely, killed itself against a chain-linked fence. Other versions are not considered, documentary evidence of the case (including photos taken by people who had found the elk calf %u2013 http://lchilikova.livejournal.com/97274.html) and witnesses%u2019 testimony disproving the %u201Cself-murder%u201D version are ignored, the police twist the facts and deliberately delay the investigation. A number of important witnesses have never been interrogated despite the fact that they are easy to find. The press release has a number of groundless assumptions that cannot be allowed during the investigation. There is every reason to be concerned about law enforcement authorities being interested in blocking the investigation. Time ticks away %u2013 as well as opportunities to find the criminals, collect and consolidate evidence.
The article drew a wide response not only in Russia but also abroad. Treatment of the weak and helpless is one of the indicators of a nation%u2019s morality. Today these monsters killed an elk, and tomorrow %u2013 if they get away with that %u2013 they will kill a human being. The evil must be punished %u2013 the earlier the better. We would like to believe that the inevitability of punishment in our country is not just a statement. We realise you are extremely busy, but if you could take the investigation under your personal control it would be a weighty guarantee that the case would be investigated and tried, the crime would not remain unpunished, and the persons who had committed it would be punished accordingly. People cannot lose faith in justice.
We hope that if the offenders are found and duly punished, and if mass media broadly highlight the case, the fear of punishment will stop the ones who lack either brain or conscience.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. We think that in order to prevent such appalling situations, punishment for cruel treatment of animals should be more severe. We appeal that you order to draft a new and comprehensive law on animal protection, and facilitate its adoption. In our view, the law must provide a primary penalty of confinement of 2 to 8 years, and an additional punishment of either a fine or seizure of property to repair the material damages incurred to the nature and moral damage incurred to the community. The fine amount must be at least hundreds of thousands roubles rather than hundreds %u2013 or even millions. This will make the law work. The fear of punishment is sometimes a good adviser. We want to live in a country where crimes like that would be impossible.
Sincerely, and looking forward to your effective response,
Group of Russian ecologists
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