Moldova: Police kill young man in cold blood

Moldova Azi Magazine reports :

Relatives of young man shot dead by policeman demand that officer is tried

The relatives of the young man that was shot dead by a police officer three days ago protested in front of the Ministry of
Internal Affairs on Tuesday, March 17.

Info-Prim Neo, 17 March 2009

2009-03-17/15:18/ Chisinau (IPN) Accompanied by a large group of persons, they demanded that the policeman is held accountable as he used the gun without firing a warning shot. Officials of the Ministry say yet he acted in accordance with the law, Info-Prim Neo reports.

The large number of young persons with candles in hands and white flours at the chest chanted that justice is done in front of the Ministry's building.

The tragedy happened on the night to Sunday on the stairs of a block in Botanica district.

Ion Verbinschi, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' internal security division, told a news conference on Tuesday that the police officers had to use the guns because the man injured a policeman with the knife while he tried to escape. Ion Verbinschi confirmed witnesses' words that the young man was confused with an offender wanted for theft that was in the block at that moment.

The girlfriend of the shot young man Stela Berbici said that he did not have a knife on him during the arrest and that the policeman injured himself with a knife to be able to explain his deed. "We want that the police officer stands trial because he did not have the right to shoot without warning," she said during the protest. The young man's brother Sergiu Timus also said that his brother was not guilty.

The prosecutors of Botanica district said they instituted legal proceedings against the policeman. An investigation is under way to establish if the shot could have been avoided.

The police say the shot young man Alexei Vlas aged 29 had criminal record.


This report in French from the Centre des Médias Alternatifs du Québec (Indymedia-Québec) paints a grimmer picture :

...Mais selon les témoins, amis d`Alexei, aussi que les personnes de l`immeuble qui le connassaient, tout s`est passé totalement different. Selon la fille de la femme qui aurait appellé les policiers, il y a eu aucun appel de leur part cette soiree la. Mais les policiers connaissaient bien leur problèmes de famille et s`en servent pour cacher une exécution de sang froid. Selon une habitante du cartier, les policiers avaient harcelé et battu Alexei à plusieurs reprises dans les dernières mois. Cette soirée fatale ils s`en sont ``debarassé`` definitivement en quelques secondes. Ils ont lui serré les mains au dos, en le frappant avec les genoux sur sa tete. Ses amis qui ont essayé de l`aider ont eté aussi brutalisés par les policiers, parmi eux une femme enceinte. Essayant de resister, Alexei a aussi reproché qqchose à un des policiers, toute de suite apres il a recu un balle dans pleine tete, par en arrière... il est decedé instantanément. Dans quelques instants, le policier descende un etage plus bas et se blesse lui meme sa jambe avec un couteau, afin de pouvoir motiver son acte irresponsable.

Selon le rapport des policiers d`hier matin, le policier a agi d`une facon tout a fait légale, en legitime defense , en ``neutralisant`` l`agresseur qui avait attaqué l`agent avec un couteau. Ils ont reconu quand meme qu`ils cherchaient une autre personne et qu`ils se sont trompé...