Recently they abolished the death penalty in Kyrgyzstan. That just reminded me the story I heard as a cadet in Karaganda Police Academy.
The History of State and Law"s lecturer was Mr. Urov, very peculiar person, quite uncomffortable to talk to as he never kept the eye contact. Not only such manner was something stressfull to us but it hampered the whole communication process as well. What was that? Defiance, sikcness? There were a lot of rumours going around and one day we caught the moment and asked direct question.
"People sentenced to death have been executed in Karaganda detention center since the times of notorious Gulag," followed the answer. "The death penalty had different names throughout the history - exclusive measure of public protection, exceptional panishment... But the procedure was the same - they read out the Resolution of the Supreme Council which rejected the convict"s plea of mercy, put him against the wall, and shot to the back of head.
"My first degree was in medicine and after graduation I spent 16 years in detention center, one of my duties was to certify the death and sign report. Can you imagine, you are talking to someone, let him be even a serial murderer or rapist, but after few minutes he is shot! That is why I stopped to look to man"s eyes. Then I finished the law school and just run away from that place...
Many years have passed since but another case comes to my mind. There were a couple in Sortirovka slums - degraded alcohol abusers. They made their living by collecting bottles and other trash on the street, occasionally stealing the coal from railway station. They drank heavily almost every day and the whole neighbourhood suffered from their "deeds". It was quite usual for him after a row to throw his almost naked wife out in a blistering cold, or even chase her with an ax.
All of the sadden his wife just disappeared; of course no one was much troubled by that fact or worried about. After six month they decided to clean up the cesspool and found female corpse, dismembered and decayed. Examination was not as so thorough as the corpse was almost decomposed and covered by excrements. Shortly after the man was arrested, there were many witnesses how he used to beat her, threaten to kill swinging the axe.
Then trial and - EXECUTION! Being in jail, for the first time the man got really sober after so many "drunken" years. He submitted the plea of mercy and was waiting month after month for answer - sometimes people wait years...
...One day a woman knocked the doors of the jailhouse yelling: "Free my husband, I am alive". The duty officer forced her to leave the premises but she came back again soon so they just called police and she was taken away. Shortly after they had a call from prosecutor"s office - "Look guy, you wouldn"t believe it but..."
That was his "murdered and dismembered" wife, whose supposed death started all this business. And by all means she was quite alive. As she narrated she was fed up with him and after another fighting she just joined geologists" expedition to the taiga and spent there almost two years.
It took one month to conform with all formal procedures and release the poor man. The following week there was a letter from Moscow - reject the plea and execute the sentence! If she came just a few days later...