LETTERS TO THE EDITORIAL OFFICE

Help me, nice people! What should I do? I am a common girl from a small town Saratov. As many of you I have done some mistakes in my life, but why life have punished me ruthlessly I don,t know! The point is that I ve been raped by three males.

Almost a year and a half has passed since that event, really a nightmare it was for me, but no court has been held yet, because it was just in November 1995 when the third rapist, Vladimir B. has been caught at last. The fact is that his mother works in militia. She is a major of militia! And her sun almost all the last year round,day by day were raping girls, who for some reason or other come back at home late, after 9 at night, though he was searched by militia then, and his sentence was suspended (he was convicted for 3 years in jail in October 4, 1994 under clause 144, part).

And when the criminal case of the rapes and robberies was sent for trial his mother was given the rank of major of militia! I think as a reward for bringing up a sun - rapist and robber. According to her chief, "Parents does not incur liability for their children". Naturally a question arises for me: does this statement applies only to militia men, and what about us, the rank and file, common people, has it nothing to do with us? Such a surprising coincidence proves once more that "our brave militia secures us" rather in a special way.

Because authorities try to conceal all these facts and to shift off the fault on to the victims, guilty though guiltless, I ask you to publish my appeal. May be somebody will help us, seven girls, companions in misery.

I've received the latest issue of your magazine and wright an answer to the subscription card. We are eager to get your magazine as before. We are happy to know that you don't forget us and try to enlight us as far as possible.

The interview by E. Chernomazova with Galina Chubkova has excited my curiosity. We shall discuss it in the Duma with feminine organizations. The problem is that we do not find common language with The Feminine Union...

N.L.Isupova took part in the Stalingrad battle, she is invalid of the 2-nd degree, of quite an old age. She lived in Kirovskiy district of the city of Volgograd. It took her an hour and a half by bus to get to her women-friends in the Region Duma. And it took her half a year to pester municipal officials in order to exchange her tworoom flat into oneroom flat downtown. And only interference of our Presidium put the matter in motion. Now Isupova removed into a flat just opposite the Region Duma. But the flat is left by previous residents in such a state that it is beyond powers for a woman with a one hand to repair it. I war with officials regarding repairment of her flat.

Now lonely pensioners and invalids became a game of the hunters for their privatized flats. They are put into lunatic asylums. They have no relatives, so who will know that their flats are being put up for sale? We have investigated some such events. I cry about it everywhere but is it possible to shout till one is heard? Recently we made two radio programms transmitted by the local radio about functioning of the Central District Court of the City of Volgograd. Listeners liked it very much and ask us to broadcast them again.

On the 22-nd of December 1996 elections of the region and district administration chiefs will be held. There are 8 candidates already - a life and death struggle is going on really. Our movement takes part in People's Patriotic Union. We nominated our candidate supporting our idea - to establish under the City Council a public comission for considering complaints, suggestions and applications of citizens. May be then we shall be able to make arrogant and corrupted officials be responsible and work properly.

I am a lonely woman with a baby. I live in Moscow and got two rooms in a communal flat. Once I decided to merry again and my wish has been fulfilled. My new husband is from the Caucasus. We have registered our marriage and he has registered in my rooms. I am pregnant. Recently my husband went to Chechnya and came back with another wife. She is not his wife by passport, they are not officially registered as husband and wife. She is his wife according to the Caucasus laws. She insists that she is the "first" wife and so a "senior" one. It means that she has more rights. Such a situation fits her very well. She says: I like here at your's, there are gas here and hot water and a bath as well. And I feel OK here. This "senior" wife came with three babies. Now "our" husband occupies one room alone and sleep on a wide double bed. And we, two wives, "senior" and "junior" ones are squeezed with four children in another room. When husband,s relatives arrived from Chechnya I had to show that everything is tiptop in our place.

What should I do? If I'll divorce my husband after this my husband in law will become an owner of one of the rooms and will live in it with his "senior" wife and three children God,s know for how long. If I would try to prove in trial that he is a bigamist my husband would claim that his "senior" wife is not his wife at all but his relative with three children came from Chechnya. Advice me what I am to do. Once he has beaten my elder daughter for some small fault, and if I give birth to a boy I was told that I won't be allowed to approach my boy and they will bring him up themselves.

Our advice to the author of this letter: open The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, article 11 "Crimes defined as survivals of local customs" and read clause 235 "Bigamy and polygamy". It reads as follows: "Bigamy and polygamy, i.e. living together with two or several women and keeping common household, involves imprisonment for term of up to one year or corrective labour for the same term." In order to prove in court the fact that her husband is a bigamist she shold invite witnesses to testify that her husband lives together with two women and keeps with them common household. Such witnesses could be neighbours of the communal flat, her female friends or relatives.


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