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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

Mass density of shame

16 August, 2012 - 00:00

The day before yesterday Luhansk’s Lenin Raion Court had another hearing in the case of Olaolu Sunkami Femi, a Nigerian student accused of a planned attempt to kill four people. The accusation is based only on the “evidence” of the victims. Olaolu is facing lifetime imprisonment.

The hearing lasted for about 40 minutes. The collegium considered the solicitations of Olaolu Femi about the change of preventive measure. The solicitation has been rejected and Femi will stay in the isolation ward. Immediately after announcing the ruling, the court announced a break till September 3. So, an innocent person will legally spend three more weeks in our prison, which is known for its terrible conditions. By the way, it is worth adding that the hearing in this case has been previously postponed only because the prosecutor’s office and the state prosecutor for half a year (!) were unable to find an English translator for the defendant.

On the whole, this without exaggeration humiliating process has been underway for over nine months. On November 5 last year in Luhansk Femi and his friend, also a Nigerian student, were attacked in the entrance hallway by four boys and two girls. The attackers shouted racist slur at the students, knocked them down, and threw stones at them. Femi managed to rise and started to defend himself with a broken bottle. The attackers retreated, but as soon as the militia arrived at the scene of crime, the totally brazen hooligans suddenly became victims, and Femi has faced accusations according to the Article 115, Part 2: an attempt to kill two or more persons (?!).

According to Luhansk human rights activists, they know from reliable sources that a mother of one of the attackers works in the Lenin RV UMVS responsible for carrying out the criminal proceedings against the foreign student.

That is why I only wish latent or open racists, ready to gloat over the fact that, say, a black guy has been imprisoned and that was a right thing to do, never to get attacked or be run over by a car of hooligans who have relatives among the MPs, ministers, in the police, military or any state officials.

If the Nigerian boy will be convicted, this will become another slap in the face of the reputation of our state, which is already imperfect. I wonder, what should the humiliation density be to crush this rot in the state officials and politicians?

By Dmytro DESIATERYK, The Day
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