KRASNODAR TERRITORY GOVERNOR CONDEMNED COSSACKS, WHO ARRANGED POGROM
OF ARMENIANS IN NOVOROSSIYSK
07.04.2005 04:24
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Krasnodar Territory Governor Alexander Tkachev has
condemned the actions of the Cossacks, who lately arranged a pogrom in
suburbs of Novorossiysk, during which Armenians living there suffered,
the Novye Izvestia newspaper reported. For the first time the Territory
authorities gave an evaluation to inter-ethnic clashes in Kuban, in
which Cossacks actively participate. «As the Governor I am responsible
for all peoples, who live in the Territory. I am convinced that no
emotions should turn a common crime into an inter-ethnic conflict,»
Alexander Tkachev stated. «Those guilty should be punished in the most
severe way to teach them not to do it again,» the Governor said. It
should be reminded that Novorossiysk ataman Vladimir Petrusha got heavy
knife injure in a scuffle between Cossacks and Armenians in the end of
March. In a day groups of Cossacks of 100-200 persons arrived in the
city and arranged disorders in Tsemdolina city district. As evidenced
by witnesses, the crowd broke glass cases, cars, beat people of not
Slavonic appearance. Then the Cossacks moved to Kuban house of culture
and demanded that the local Armenian community give up the young man,
guilty in their opinion in wounding the ataman, to the militia. At
the time the Novorossiysk Internal Affairs Department refrained from
comments, however right after the pogrom the suspect surrendered to
the police. The pogrom took place at the time of Russian President
Vladimir Putin’s visit to Armenia. Governor Tkachev and ataman of
the Kuban Cossack Troops Vladimir Gromov were not in Kuban at the
time either â~@” they were on visit in the US. Noting that suspect
is arrested, Territory Prosecutor Sergey Yeremin pledged to prefer
charges against both Cossacks and Armenians. Kuban Cossacks ataman
Vladimir Gromov promised to establish order and be strict with the
subordinates on the matters of illegal actions. In the opinion of
Novorossiysk Human Rights Committee head Vadim Karastelev, «all
promises of Cossack leader that hooligan actions of Cossacks will
be cut short are nothing but words. The Cossack leaders are not in
control of actions of many of their detachments.»
–Boundary_(ID_LobpgT5gW0o/PJwPljRUDQ)–