In May 2012 videos continue to appear on the internet in which representatives of a Kyrgyz gang that calls itself “Patriot” mock their countrywomen for dating young Tajikistani emigrants and for leading, by their judgment, improper lives.

As before, young men abuse and beat young women, stripping them naked in the street, demanding that that they answer questions into a camera and state their names and addresses. Additionally, in some incidents they have threatened young women with knives and stun guns.

As reported, the Kyrgyz Embassy in Russia has turned to the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Interior Affairs with a request for help in establishing the identities of the men who are attacking the young women. However, the Russian police have not rendered any help.

The Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic in Russia has noted that Russian law enforcement agencies will not raise a criminal case over the victimization of young women without a complaint from the victims. However, a complaint is not always required, and only in cases of personal fault, which in cases of violent crime is related only to the infliction of bodily harm (Part 1, Article 115 of the Criminal Code) and battery (Part 1, Article 116 of the Criminal Code.) Both acts would have to have been committed without aggravating circumstances; that is, without hooligan motives and/or without nationalist or social hatred motives.

In all other situations the case is based on public guilt, and a complaint from the victim is not required to initiate such cases.

We consider that in the given situation aggravating circumstances clearly played a role. Moreover, there are features of Article 117 of the Criminal Code (torture) in the actions of the aggressors. Thus, in one way or another, the case relates to other acts of public charge and can and, in our opinion, should be raised independently of the availability of a claim from the victims, especially given the fact that there were several assaults on young women.

Recall that in March 2012 two analogous videos began to spread actively on Russian Internet.