General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"A Ukrainian Activist Recalls Having Been Tortured" (Le Monde, in French)
http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2014/03/22/crimee-un-militant-ukrainien-raconte-avoir-ete-torture_4387849_3214.html« Les policiers m'ont frappé au visage, ensuite on m'a scotché les yeux et ligoté les bras et on m'a mis dans un minibus et transporté dans une cave », raconte M. Chtchekoun, père de trois enfants vivant dans la ville de Bakhtchissaraï, interrogé sur son lit d'hôpital. « Ils m'ont dévêtu (...), attaché à une chaise et torturé au courant électrique. Ils m'ont frappé aux épaules (...) et quand je perdais connaissance, ils me donnaient des coups de pied à la poitrine. C'étaient des professionnels », a-t-il poursuivi.
The article and the video at the link describe the torture (electric shocks in a damp basement) only from Andriï Chtchekoun's perspective, but it does claim that he was among seven activists detained and held by militiamen in the period leading up to the referendum.
Benton D Struckcheon
(2,347 posts)which makes you wonder if they came in from those Georgian regions previously liberated by the Dear Leader?
Anyway, that's one way to get a plus 90 return on the referendum: detain and torture the ones who would have voted against it.
Igel
(35,191 posts)But Unian.ua reported on a Russian soldier taken captive in Kherson oblast' that said his base was in Chechnya.
Chechnya, Daghestan, Ingushetia, lots of places in the Caucasus.
Lots of stories of dissidents being detained, of Ukrainians being beaten up, of Tatars vanishing. RT doesn't report on them, they must not happen.
Tatar reps say that "no" Tatar voted. Ukrainians also boycotted. They make up more of the population than didn't vote, so lots of "excess" population was found to vote. Yet nobody cares. Kovarstvo, po-moemy.
Benton D Struckcheon
(2,347 posts)but unfortunately not a lot can be done to fix this anymore. Too close to Russia, and they have nukes. Sanctions can only do so much. You would have to completely isolate Russia to even have a chance to get this reversed, and that simply isn't going to happen unless they attack the eastern Ukraine en masse. Even then I wouldn't put the odds at anything over 50-50. Sad, but true.
Duckhunter935
(16,974 posts)move along.......
That could not happen, it's all flowers and rainbows and 163% of the vote has been counted