Have to hate ex-USSR 'justice system'

Solver · May 19, 2003, 16:38

This is something I heard in the local news today, and it made me damn pissed. Some people may speak a lot about the flaws of justice system in USA and Western Europe, but at elast in no civilized country stuff like this would ever happen. This really, really smells like some Soviet time 'justice'.

Here in Latvia, there's a center for raising children, whatever it's called. They are children that are either orphans, or can't be raised with their parents for some other reason. Some kids have been born with some sort of illness. Most of them are only seldom visited by some relatives. Aha, found more precise info: this particular center mostly holds children born with some illnesses (not disabled physically, but ill nonetheless), aged 4-18.

Now, in one of these centers, called "Vegi" (actually, "Veìi"), there have been incidents of children torture. Mainly, two people have been committing it repeatedly. This includes beating kids up, doing things like seizing their neck with boths hands and lifting them in the air like that (BTW, kills infants insantly), and other stuff. This is mind you even with small children aged like 8!

In older groups, they did 'combat smoking'. They caught some guys, and forced them to smoke many cigarettes, after which gave them water with salt, which causes heavy vomiting. Beatings with rubber sticks for something the teachers (whatever they should be called) considered 'wrong' were common. A boy who 'ate too much at dinner' got a bawl of pourage into his face. Many times kinds have been tied to some bed/batteries using handcuffs and left like that for several hours.

Now, guess what the worst part is. Today, the court case against two people from Veìi was finished. They were not sentecned to anything. Actually, they would get 6 months in jail, but because of crime expiration terms, they got nothing. Just a fine of 69,95 Ls (roughly 114 USD) to compensate for court expenses...

Now, I'm seriously disgusted. Some of the victims have had very serious, possibly irreversible mental damage caused to them. Imagine a sick child who has gone through months of torture like that! And now those fu*kers get absolutely nothing for their actions. This is not to say that no police interferred or bothered to do a thing when there were first reports of events in Veìi.

Arrian · May 19, 2003, 16:39

That is seriously ****ed up.

-Arrian

Solver · May 19, 2003, 16:41

Oh yeah, in the court they denied doing acts of violence, merely saying that "children that openly provoke adults need physical punishment". Any notion of intentional SEVERE hits or pushing a weak child so that he fell and was knocked unconscious when hitting his head against beton floor (!) is denied...

Rasbelin · May 19, 2003, 16:45

Let's see what happens once you join the EU. Maybe that changes things. But that's just maybe. In general I would say human rights (especially the rights of children) seem to require an evaluation in Latvia.

Nubclear · May 19, 2003, 16:45

Solver · May 19, 2003, 16:48

Quote:

Let's see what happens once you join the EU.

That kind of stuff needs to be fixed BEFORE joining the EU...

Gangerolf · May 19, 2003, 16:49

what were the charges?

Solver · May 19, 2003, 16:51

Abuse of work status (meh, can't give it a proper name), violence against underage children...

Gangerolf · May 19, 2003, 16:57

it's strange they dind't get (more) jail time then. there must have been plenty of evidence? I can understand why you're pissed off.

Pekka · May 19, 2003, 17:19

This makes me angry. Not that they didn't get jail time, but more what they did to those kids. Beating small kids for their own fun... I'd like to fight these guys, no weapons, no rules and no one to stop me from disabling these guys for the rest of their natural lives. I hurt them hard.

Pekka · May 19, 2003, 17:26

I'm not sure if these guys realize, that after the kids grow up men, some of them will get back at them with interests.

Japher · May 19, 2003, 17:30

I am sure there are other ppl like you, Pekka, out there, so I am pretty sure that these guys aren't going to have to wait until those kids grow up to actually "pay" for their crimes.

Pekka · May 19, 2003, 17:34

Yes Japher, I'd say there are folks out there in Latvia interested in setting the record straight. Lynching mob mentality is not maybe good for people, or in working society.. but you get what you ask for. If you beat up little kids just for the heck of it, you then accept the possibility of it getting back to you. These kids can't defend themselves, and abuse at that age.. man it can screw up their lives for good. So, I'd say reasonable folks of Latvia will seek for street justice.

Serb · May 20, 2003, 02:05

Quote:

This is something I heard in the local news today, and it made me damn pissed. Some people may speak a lot about the flaws of justice system in USA and Western Europe, but at elast in no civilized country stuff like this would ever happen. This really, really smells like some Soviet time 'justice'.

Really? Do you have examples of the similar cases from the Soviet times? I doubt.
In Soviet times those f*ckers would meet a firing squad or 15 years of prison perhaps.