Mari El Republic. 18 January, 2010.

Sberbank of Russia refused to give 100.000 rubles to 17-year-old Vladislav Vasiliev as a compensation for moral damage. The judgment about this compensation was made by court.

We remind you that the boy’s father went to Moscow to earn money and disappeared. His relatives learnt that on 1 January, 2006 the man died. Besides, relatives had information from police department 152 of the Internal Affairs of the district Ivanovskoe of the Administration of the Internal Affairs of Vostochniy administrative district of Moscow that on 20 January, 2006 it was refused to initiate criminal proceedings on the fact of the man’s death. Dmitriy Vasiliev had a passport with him, so there were not any problems with his identification, however the district police officer did not report on the man’s death to his relatives. In connection with this fact, his family was unable to bury the man.

Regional public organization “Human being and Law” prepared a lawsuit to Zamoskvoretskiy District Court for compensation for moral damage in favor of Dmitriy Vasiliev. Claims have been satisfied and the state, which is solely responsible for the negligence of employees, obliged the Ministry of Finance of Russia and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to pay 100 thousand rubles to the man’s son.

The defendant, represented by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, transferred the necessary amount to Vasiliev’s account in Sberbank. But personnel of Sberbank of Volzhsk refused to pay the money to the boy, due to the fact that he is still too small to be responsible for such a large amount. Vlad’s grandmother, who came to Sberbank with the boy, intends to write a complaint to the Public Prosecutor in order to eliminate violations of the Law.

In accordance with the Civil Code of Russia a minor from 14 to 18 years old has a right to make deposits and manage money. In this connection there is a question to representatives of this Sberbank: on what basis they don’t give money to the boy.

In June, 2007 the Regional public organization “Human being and Law” and the Fund “Public Verdict”, which represented the interests of Dmitry Vasiliev’s mother, charged 18 thousand rubles as a compensation for moral damage from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. During investigation the district police officer was brought to disciplinary liability for careless attitude to the execution of official duties.

On 1 January, 2010 the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Mari El and the Regional public organization “Human being and Law” started implementing a new joint large-scale inter-regional project entitled “Militia of Russia from the service.”

The main objective of the project is to promote a transformation of militia from force structure to the structure that serves the society, to improve police interaction with society.

In accordance with recent events of December when the President of the Russian Federation Dmitriy Medvedev has signed a decree “About measures on improvement of the activity of the Departments of the Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation”, the project is especially important and deserves special attention. According to Dmitriy Medvedev’s words:  ”people want to be protected by militia officers and trust them.”

The project “Militia of Russia from force to service” covers three regions of Russia: the Republic of Mari El, Perm Region and Komi Republic and it is supported by the European Commission. At the first stage of the project partner organizations (Amnesty International, the Fund “Public Verdict” (Moscow), Centre of Civic Education and Human Rights of Perm and Komi Human Rights Commission “Memorial”) will develop 7 public opinion surveys on the level of public trust to different categories of police: duty departments, militia officers, minor’s cases department, patrol force, traffic militia, investigators, operating officers.

Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Mari El, general-major of militia Artem Hohorin supported the project “Militia of Russia from force to service”.

Within the frames of the project Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights will render valuable assistance, the personnel have excellent practical experience in conducting campaigns to protect the public interest. During implementation of the project various activities will be held: informing the public about the role and functions of the police, hotlines, public reception, special contests, which will be aimed at assessing the most successful staff, seminars, round tables.

- Willingness of the personnel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to take part in the project shows that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has an interest in reforming the system itself. – considers a cochairman of RPO “Human being and Law” Sergey Poduzov. – The joint project will allow the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to take the experience of the staff work of other European countries.
The project “Militia of Russia from force to service” will be the most large-scale project among other projects, implemented during 5 years of cooperation RPO “Human being and Law” and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Mari El.

The civil chamber of the Supreme Court of Mari El Republic invalidated the judgment of Medvedevo district court, and made a decisional judgment. In accordance with this judgment the actions of the administration of the correction colony № 4 of Federal Service of Penal Executions of Russia in Mari El Republic were unlawful.

A friend of the convicted man, who is serving a sentence of imprisonment in the correction colony № 4 of Federal Service of Penal Executions of Russia in Mari El Republic in the premises of the chamber type, has applied to Regional public organization “Human being and Law”.

On 26 June, 2009 the woman sent him a parcel with food.

On 3 July the administration of the correction colony № 4 returned this parcel back to her.

The last parcel was received by this convicted person on 30 December, 2008.

In accordance with the law (clause “b”, part 2, Article 118 of the Penitentiary Code of the Russian Federation) the convicted, transferred to the premises of the chamber type, has the right to receive a parcel within six months. Thus, the convicted man had a right to receive a parcel after 6 months from the last parcel. So from 30 June, 2009 year he could get a parcel.

In accordance with paragraph 98 of the internal regulations of correction institutions the period of receiving parcels is one and the same as it was before for the convicted, transferred from one conditions of imprisonment to others.

However, according to the version of the administration, if the convicted person was transferred to the premises of the chamber type for a period of less than 6 months, then 98 of the internal regulations of correction institutions does not work.

The civil chamber explained that any other special rules had not been established by legislation of the Russian Federation.

That’s why the decision of Medvdevo district court was falsified.