Three Russians were punished for collecting rare insects in Sri Lanka, each with a fine of more than 1.1 million rubles. If the fine is not paid by March 11, they will go to jail, for which they launched a crowdfunding campaign.
Ignatenko
Ivan Melnikov, vice chairman of the Russian branch of the International Commission on Human Rights, said: "If they do not pay in full by March 11, they will be sent back to prison again." In response, we have publicly raised funds to support them. We created a website for them that everyone can donate to help our scientists. ”
The website collected all the information about the three of them, detailing the detention of the three Russian tourists in Sri Lanka, hoping that the public would be able to understand the events objectively and publicly.
Alexander Ignatenko is a zoologist and traveler who works at the Rostov-on-Don Zoo as head of the small mammal department with a primary interest in insects and spiders. He was fascinated by entomology throughout his childhood and attended various conferences, ecological and biological camps.
Sri Lankan prisons
During their detention, they had to be imprisoned on the floor with dozens of felons, and the spicy diet made Ignatenko's gastritis develop into a severe stomach ulcer and had to be hospitalized several times. Due to the spread of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, in order to avoid the prison epidemic, they were temporarily released under russian diplomatic intervention, but their personal documents were confiscated and they were restricted from leaving Sri Lanka.
Prison situation
All three were forced to plead guilty due to intense pressure from the Sri Lankan police and their own poor health. Sri Lankan police said the entire process could take years if the guilt was not pleaded. This can be seen from the fact that only 2 of the 13 prisoners have been interrogated in the past year that what they are saying is true.
Melnikov appealed: "All three of our compatriots need medical care, and in Sri Lanka they cannot continue to sustain it." Ignatenko had a stomach ulcer, a crushing fracture of Kirafyan's leg, and both he and Ryabkov needed surgery. ”
On VKontakte, there is a community created to support the three of them, and netizens are furious about the trial held on January 21, 2022.
One netizen said that in the past six months, there has been no progress in the case. It all boils down to one sentence: "We'll let you stay here until you accept our accusations" – which obviously isn't quite right, isn't it?!
Some netizens said that all along, the lawsuit has been continuously postponed. A trial was held on December 15 last year, but now it has been postponed to January 21... Why the delay? Just because of the prosecution lawyer's "there is a lot to do", it is normal for them to stay here for nearly 2 years!?
Ignatenko on VKontakte
Ignatenko said in an earlier interview: "We face a total of 227 allegations and it is not clear why there are still some allegations that should have been removed long ago." Some of the insects mentioned in the allegations are not distributed in Sri Lanka, and some are allowed to be bought and eaten locally, and the allegations are all falsified. ”
According to TASS, under Sri Lankan law, if they cannot pay the fine, they will be waiting for up to 40 years in prison.
Author: Gala Editor: Plum