Nearly a thousand migrant workers have been detained during a police raid in a bid to ‘decriminalize’ Moscow’s markets after an officer was seriously injured at one of them. The Russian President condemned the work of the police during the incident.
Russian security forces launched a massive raid on Moscow’s
markets. During the first two days police have detained nearly a
thousand people, mostly migrant workers from the North Caucasus
and the countries of former Soviet Republics. All of them are
suspected in criminal activity and involvement in administrative
offenses.
This comes after a notorious scuffle that took place outside a
market in the west of the capital last Saturday, when a group of
police officers arrested Magomed Magomedov, a Dagestani migrant
worker, and a prime suspect for the statutory rape attempt of a
15-year-old girl.
While the officers were detaining Magomedov, his sister Halimat
Rasulova defending him engaged in a fist fight with the security
forces. Her husband, Magomed Rasulov joined her, as a result
tackling an officer, Anton Kudriashov and breaking his skull. The
injured has been admitted to hospital and is now in fair
condition expected to sign out soon.
The two involved in the fight and the prime suspect of the rape
have been arrested.
At the same time, the Investigative Committee (IC) has accused
the Moscow police of negligence as they were incapable
of“defending” their colleague. Following the unprecedented
incident an investigation was launched into corruption between
the representatives of trade and law enforcers, said
vice-president of the IC Vasily Piskarev during a press
conference with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his dissatisfaction
with the law enforcement agencies, in particular, the Ministry of
Internal Affairs, during Saturday's event.
“This is not a normal situation” when one colleagues is
getting beaten up and the rest are watching, said the president.
“Are they such cowards, or what? It is possible, but highly
unlikely. Rather, by their inaction, [the police] are paying off
‘30 pieces of silver’ they received from these vendors. This is
clear to everyone, and everyone knows it.”
The president emphasized that in this case it was vital for the
investigation to focus on “money paid to the authorities.”
The president was referring to the impotence of the police force
that stood by while their fellow colleague was attacked in broad
daylight in front of dozens of witnesses. The vendors verbally
insulted the police, while they stood by and watched Kudriashov
engaging the alleged rapist and his family members. The recording
of the incident has been released online and caused a massive
outcry from the public.
According to Magomedov’s relatives and friends who were defending
him, the 25 year old Dagestani is mentally retarded. They claim
he even does not remember his age and has no idea what sexual
violence is. Earlier, the police stated that the accused only
undressed the girl but did not rape her, because he “lost the
desire.”
Meanwhile, the alleged rapist has been detained until September
26 as police investigate the case further. Magomedov is accused
of raping a minor. If found guilty, he faces up to 20 years in
prison. The other people detained, face up to 10 years in prison
for attacking law officers.