25 October 2013 – Russian President Vladimir Putin has promoted judge Igor Alisov, who presided over the first trial of a dead man in the history of Russia. The trial ended with the posthumous conviction of Sergei Magnitsky in July this year.
President Putin’s decree was published on the official Kremlin website showing that judge Igor Alisov has been upgraded from the Tverskoi district court to the Moscow City Court, which is a significant promotion(http://graph.document.kremlin.ru/page.aspx?3584338)
The Presidential decree was signed on 29 August 2013, just one month after judge Alisov convicted Sergei Magnitsky and refused his rehabilitation.
“This looks like Judge Alisov’s payback for selling his soul to Vladimir Putin. He may enjoy the prestige and creature comforts of his new position, but history will not be kind to the man who allowed a man killed in custody to be prosecuted and convicted after his death, – said a Hermitage Capital representative. – This vindictive move towards Sergei Magnitsky shows how deeply vulnerable Vladimir Putin feels about the corruption uncovered and bravely exposed by Sergei Magnitsky and his colleagues.”
Judge Igor Alisov also exonerated all officials implicated by Sergei Magnitsky in the $230 million theft by pinning the entire theft on an “unemployed” man in a 2011 sentencing ruling.
ATHENS, Greece – Across Europe, Roma faced scrutiny amidst the finding of “Maria.” Some have compared notions of “baby snatching” to anti-Semitic stories from before World War II.
Across Europe, the Roma live nomadic lives with strong ties to their culture, which has made integration difficult and isolation easy. (Photo courtesy of the Independent)
During the week of 14 October 2013, authorities searching the Farsala Roma community for drugs and weapons found five-year-old “Maria.” The couple claiming to be her parents had none of her physical characteristics. DNA tests revealed that Maria is not either adult’s biological daughter.
The couple, Christos Salis and Eleftheria Dimopoulou, were charged with abducting Maria and falsifying documents. In speaking with police, the couple conveyed that a fair-skinned Bulgarian Roma woman gave them Maria because she could no longer care for her. However, police also report that both adults provided conflicting accounts of the child’s origin.
A fair-skinned Bulgarian woman has come forward as Maria’s biological mother to corroborate the couple’s story. A DNA test will be conducted.
“It is a racist presumption on behalf of the Greek authorities… to charge her family with abduction just because they are Roma and because it was proven that [she] is not their own natural child,” says Panayote Dimitras, spokesperson from the Greek Helsinki Monitor.
In Farsala, dozens who knew the family contended that the couple cared for Maria deeply and looked after her well. Currently, Maria—who speaks little Greek—is in a Greek charity hospital undergoing tests to determine her real age. Thousands of parents around the world have called and emailed authorities, hoping that Maria is their lost child.
While the global interest has centered on finding Maria’s biological parents, local interests center on the great divide between the Roma and other Greeks. Indeed, the European Court of Human Rights has found that Greece, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Hungary have segregated their Roma communities.
Originally of India, the Roma are considered a subgroup of the Romani people. For centuries, the Roma have lived nomadically across Europe. Integration becomes difficult due to the Roma’s strong attachment to their culture, language, and habits.
Some media outlets have shown footage of Maria dancing to music with the implication that her parents forced her to dance for money. Enraged by the suggestion, the Roma community explained that the footage was taken after a baptism and religious celebration.
Admitting to some settlements known to have illegal activities, many Roma protest that criminality is a very small portion of their community.
In this case, Salis and Dimopoulou are an illiterate couple who registered their family in several towns, often claiming fourteen children—ten of whom are unaccounted for. Police stated that the couple received approximately €2500 ($3420) per month in child welfare subsidies from three different cities. However, among all Greeks, it is not uncommon to see such papers falsified.
In Ireland, authorities began taking for DNA testing Roma children, all of whom were confirmed as the biological children of their alleged parents.
Three score and ten years ago, the world saw what racism does, and the world said, “Never again.” Europe must remember that never means never.
