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Russian Whistleblower Cop Arrested
Remember the Russian cop's YouTube narrative on police corruption? Reader Max_W writes with the news that Alexei Dymovsky, the cop whose videos started a movement, was arrested (Google translation; Russian original) on January 22, 2010. He is in prison in the south of Russia. Max_W adds: "It seems only a president is allowed to have a video blog in Russia."
I give it 48 hours till he's found dead in his cell by apparent "suicide" by drowning himself in a pissbucket
In Soviet Russia whistle blows you!
http://michaelsmith.id.au
Bullshit. Mod parent way down. Parent is full of it.
The US Constitution permits people to be held on a probable cause determination made by a policeman for up to 48 (forty-eight) hours. After 48 hours there must be judicial review of probable cause or the defendant must be released from custody. That's the Riverside case.
A related provision requires the detained person to be charged within 72 hours of probable cause detention or released. That's the Gerstein case.
The U.S. Constitution sets a minimum standard. States can set standards that are MORE protective of individual rights than the U.S. Constitution, but they cannot go below the constitutional standard.
Seriously, was anyone really surprised? Mess with bad cops, and you'll come to a bad end. This is unfortunately true everywhere, including the United States.
In Soviet Russia cops arrest you. oh wait.
Please. We should not merely talk and type about this tragedy. We should actually do something to help this victim of the Kremlin.
For example, we could start a fund for his legal defense and possible eventual escape from Russia to the West. For the sake of humanity, we must not allow the Kremlin to kill him. The Kremlin has already killed too many innocent people.
If this policeman dies mysteriously in prison, then I hope that someone -- anyone -- assassinates dictator Vladimir Putin.
The Dymovsky affair is more complicated than merely a whistle blower cop who had enough, went public, and is now being prosecuted. For starters in his videos his biggest complaints arent about the corruption in the Russian police, but about low pay, long hours, not enough vacation time and not getting overtime pay for overtime hours. Basically his rants aren't about the bad Russian cops but about the bad Russian government that doesnt pay its cops and Mr. Dymovsky in particular enough money. He also signals out his immediate bosses for special attention, but this is because his bosses were trying to get him fired for various things taking BEFORE he put anything on Youtube. Major Dymovsky had a habit of not coming into work for weeks at a time and there were numerous complaints about him basically alleging he himself was extorting various businesses for money before he put anything on Youtube.
Yulia Latynina who is easily the best credentialed opposition journalist in Russia has dismissed Dymovsky as a fraud on her radio show and in editorials. His complaint isnt with the system but with his own place in it -- he is no opponent of the Kremlin, but a guy who was trying to secure his own position.
His own ex-wife has called him mentally unbalanced. He had a messy divorce involving death threats and other assorted stories fit only for the tabloids. The core of the Russian opposition has attempted to distance itself from him which is why you wont find more than a single mention of his arrest on newsru.com. Kasparov's group is the only one that is still seemingly embracing Dymovsky, but that's no surprise as they are the most discredited of the opposition movements in Russia.