INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2015

17 years jail for organiser of Russian MP’s murder

SAINT PETERSBURG: A Russian court yes- Duma deputy Galina Starovoitova with the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party led was ordered by the head of the powerful terday sentenced the organiser of the 1998 aim of ending her active political and gov- by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, was arrested in 2009 “Tambov” criminal syndicate, Vladimir killing of prominent opposition politician ernmental activity,” the prosecutor-general’s over a separate case after being on the run Barsukov, a one-armed mobster nick- Galina Starovoitova to 17 years in prison. office said in a statement. for several years. His sentence took into named the “night governor” of Saint Saint Petersburg’s Oktyabrsky district court A charismatic politician and rights activist, account that he is already serving an eight- Petersburg for his far-reaching influence. sentenced former lawmaker Mikhail Starovoitova was an MP in the State Duma year sentence for extortion in a separate case “He ordered it, we did it. If I hadn’t Glushchenko to 17 years in a tough-regime lower house of parliament and chaired after being convicted in 2013. done it, they would have killed me. prison colony for organising Starovoitova’s Democratic Russia party. She was also an Glushchenko, who appeared in court in a Barsukov is a very harsh person,” murder almost two decades ago. advisor to Boris Yeltsin during his presidency. crumpled grey suit, pleaded guilty to being Glushchenko said in court last week, quot- The gunning down of the 52-year-old lib- In 2005, a court in Saint Petersburg con- one of the organisers of Starovoitova’s mur- ed by Russian media. eral member of parliament in the stairwell of victed two hitmen, one of whom was dis- der and asked for “forgiveness from the Barsukov, also known as Kumarin, is her home was one of Russia’s most notorious guised as a woman at the crime scene, and Russian people.” being held in a Moscow jail while he is political killings of the 1990s. “The court sentenced them to 23 and 20 years, but investigated over numerous crimes. He is established that Glushchenko along with an failed to identify the mastermind. ‘He ordered it, we did it’ already serving time for extortion and cor- unidentified person decided to kill the State Glushchenko, a former deputy for the Glushchenko said in court the murder porate raiding. — AFP

Three arrested for deaths of 71 migrants in truck

VIENNA: Three people believed to be part of a human smuggling oper- ation were arrested overnight in Hungary in connection with the deaths of 71 migrants found in a refrigerated truck abandoned on Austria’s main highway, law enforcement officials said yesterday. It was the latest tragedy in a year that has seen tens of thousands of people risking everything to seek a better life or refuge in wealthy European countries. At least 2,500 have died, mostly at sea, where another tragedy was unfolding Friday as Libyan authorities counted bodies from two ships that capsized off the coast of that country. The U.N. refugee agency said 200 were missing and feared dead. In Austria, officials said they are still investigating but believe the migrants suffocated in the truck. Investigators found a Syrian travel doc- ument, indicating that at least some of the dead were refugees fleeing violence in Syria, though it wasn’t clear if some were from elsewhere. The 71 included eight women and four children, the youngest a girl between 1 and 2 years old, the others boys aged 8 to 10. Authorities initially estimated the death toll at 20 to 50, but raised it after towing the truck to a refrigerated warehouse and counting the partially decomposed bodies. Migrants fearful of death at sea in overcrowded and flimsy boats have increasingly turned to using a land route to Europe through the Western Balkans. They start in , which they can reach via a short boat trip from Turkey, then move on through Macedonia, Serbia and into Hungary, where thousands have been crossing the border every day, crawling over or under a razor-wire fence meant to keep them out. ATHENS: Caretaker take a religious oath during a swearing in ceremony at the Presidential Most go from there to other countries in the European Union, some- Palace in Athens, yesterday. Greece’s new caretaker government, led by the nation’s first female prime minis- times paying smugglers to drive them, but the discovery of the bodies in ter, Vassiliki Thanou, not pictured, was sworn as the country heads to early elections next month, the third the truck showed there is no truly safe path. Police in Hungary said that time Greeks will go to the polls this year. — AP as of Tuesday, 776 suspected human smugglers had been detained so far this year, compared to 593 all of 2014. In the southern part of the country, police said they had found 18 Syrians near an overturned van Greece’s new premier on the M5 highway between Szeged and Budapest early yesterday. Ten were taken to the hospital for treatment while the driver, a Romanian, was treated for head injuries and then taken into custody on suspicion of human smuggling. names caretaker cabinet The truck with the 71 migrants inside was found parked in the safe- ty lane of the highway from Budapest, Hungary, to Vienna on Thursday. It was not clear how long the bodies had been in it, but Elections expected to be set for Sept 20 police believed they may already have been dead by the time the truck crossed the border into Austria overnight Wednesday. Autopsies ATHENS: Greece’s new prime minister, named tourism minister. The new cabi- The poll showed Syriza supported by were being conducted, said state prosecutor Johann Fuchs, with a top judge who is the country’s first net was to be sworn in later yesterday. 23 percent, compared to 26 percent in an results expected in several days. female premier, named the members of Elections are widely expected to be early July survey by the same company. At least two of those arrested are Bulgarian citizens, while the third her caretaker government yesterday as set for Sept. 20. Tsipras has said he The conservative New party has Hungarian identity papers, police said. One is the truck owner, a the country heads to early elections next needs a stronger mandate to implement stood at about 20 percent compared to Bulgarian of Lebanese descent, while two others were apparently taking month, the third time Greeks will go to the tough austerity measures accompa- 15 percent in July. turns driving, said Hans Peter Doskozil, chief of police in Burgenland the polls this year. nying the three-year, 86 billion euro The small nationalist Independent province, where the truck was found. He said police believe that the sus- The appointments come a day after bailout, but an opinion poll published in Greeks, Syriza’s partner in the seven- pects were part of a larger Bulgarian-Hungarian human smuggling ring. Supreme Court head Vassiliki Thanou the left-leaning Efimerida ton Syntakton month , were Fuchs said it was unclear when the suspects would be extradited by was sworn into office. The 65-year-old newspaper Friday found small support backed by 2 percent, below the 3 percent Hungarian authorities, who were looking to see if they had jurisdiction in was appointed after outgoing prime for his move. threshold for to enter Parliament. Tsipras the case. Romania’s foreign ministry also said that 12 Romanians had minister Alexis Tsipras resigned last Sixty-four percent said Tsipras’ deci- has ruled out forming a coalition with been detained in Hungary on suspicion of human trafficking and week, barely seven months into his sion to call the snap poll was wrong, any of the center-right or center-left par- Hungarian authorities are seeking to arrest them. four-year mandate, following a rebel- compared to 24 percent who consid- ties if he fails to win a majority to govern Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said the tragedy “should serve lion by members of his radical-left ered it correct. The remainder took no outright, meaning he would be unable to as a wake-up call ... for joint European action” in dealing with the torrent Syriza party who objected to his agree- position or did not reply. Sixty-eight per- form a government unless a party that of migrants flocking to Europe. Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the ment with the conditions of Greece’s cent said they believe the country didn’t make it into parliament last time UN refugee agency in Geneva called the tragedy “absolutely shocking.” third international bailout. should remain within the euro even if it manages to win above 3 percent. “We believe this underscores the ruthlessness of people smugglers The finance ministry post went to means further austerity measures and The poll was conducted by the who have expanded their business from the Mediterranean Sea to the Giorgos Houliarakis, an academic who sacrifices. Asked whether the govern- ProRata company on Aug. 25-26 with a highways of Europe. It shows they have absolutely no regard for human had been on Greece’s negotiating team ment got the best deal it could for the sample of 1,000 people nationwide life, and that they are only after profit,” she said. “It also shows the des- during talks with creditors. Popular Greek third bailout, 48 percent said yes and 45 and had a margin of error of 3 percent- peration of people seeking protection or a new life in Europe, and their pop singer Alkistis Protopsalti was percent disagreed. age points. — AP only means is to submit themselves to these criminals.” — AP