Posted on 03/27/2010 4:32:33 AM PDT by Maelstorm
A police raid on a Russian kindergarten in which investigators allegedly interrogated and frightened small children has angered parents and teachers, Russian television reported Saturday.
The controversial raid in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Urals Mountains some 1400 kilometres east of Moscow, is the latest scandal to rock Russia's police force, often accused of brutality and corruption.
The economic crimes department of the Yekaterinburg police has confirmed its officers raided the city's Kindergarten No. 250 to probe complaints that its director was demanding bribes from parents to admit children.
Kindergarten staff told Russia's NTV television that officers prevented children from going outside to play and asked them questions, while angry parents said the raid had terrified their sons and daughters.
"They were asked their names, surnames and who their parents were.... Kids in our youngest age group had to answer questions from police in the economic crimes department," kindergarten teacher Irina Shabanova told NTV.
Sergei Lobanov, whose young son attends Kindergarten No. 50, told the television channel: "For the past week, my son keeps telling me he doesn't want to go to kindergarten."
The head of the economic crimes department of Yekaterinburg's police force, Segrei Kupratsevich, denied his officers had mistreated children and insisted they had not even gone into the children's areas of the building.
"No actions were taken against the children. Police did not enter the rooms with the children's group. All the work took place in the offices of the (kindergarten's) administration," Kupratsevich told NTV.
The kindergarten controversy comes just weeks after a high-profile police scandal in Yekaterinburg, in which investigators say that policemen brutally beat and robbed a 62-year-old classical pianist.
Last month President Dmitry Medvedev unveiled sweeping reforms to eradicate corruption in Russia's police, who are widely distrusted by the country's population.
Coming to the U.S. soon.
Cops already drag little girls out of school in handcuffs for doodling on desks. Little Jimmy better be careful the next time he points his finger and thumb like a gun.
The ATF will slam through the wall with a tank and kill everyone in sight.
I feel a kinship with our Russian brothers.
OUR cops would've tasered the little ones.
And shot a few dogs for good measure.
Little Jimmy better not say a prayer!
That’s the town where the Czar and his family were held and murdered.
Oh the good ole days back at kindergarten #50...
they grow up so fast, soon they’ll be in
Commie Martyrs High.
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