RUSSIAN REGIONAL PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATES POSSIBLE ETHNICALLY MOTIVATED PROTEST
Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow
24 Jul 07
[Presenter] The Tula Region prosecutor’s office has promised to
get to the bottom of the situation in the town of Venevo. A number
of media reports have said that local residents in the town held an
unsanctioned public protest against Armenian immigrants. A whole team
led by the region’s prosecutor is going to Venevskiy District. Roman
Plyusov has more.
[Correspondent] It seems the regional prosecutor’s office is taking
a great interest in the events in Venevo. However, the investigators
don’t seem to be interested in the causes of what happened. They plan
to find out whether the unsanctioned protest actually took place,
and if it did, why the local authorities did not put a stop to the
rally, Interfax [news agency] was told by the local prosecutor’s
office. Their source said that the commission was going to check,
I quote: the legality and the sufficiency of the measures taken by
the law-enforcement agencies and the town’s administration.
The prosecutor’s office is not giving any further details. Meanwhile,
a number of media have reported that around 200 local residents
gathered on the square of the little town on Sunday [22 July]
afternoon. The residents said they had put up with lawlessness from
members of the Armenian diaspora, but that their patience had now
snapped. In the middle of the month Armenian immigrants cruelly beat
up two local residents, but police are taking their time with the
investigation. Relatives of the supposed criminals have poured oil
on the fire by saying that they had bribed everyone in the police. It
was after this that people decided to take to the streets in protest.
[Presenter] The local authorities deny that the conflict is an
inter-ethnic one. Officials say the local residents were beaten up
due to economic disputes. The Russian Union of Armenians believes
that the incident was provoked by personal disagreement.